


To Love a Senju and Save an Uchiha

by Tobiramamara



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Fourth Shinobi War, Time Travel, Warring States Period (Naruto)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:34:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27648274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tobiramamara/pseuds/Tobiramamara
Summary: Sakura is thrown back in time by the Kaguya Godess, into the Warring State Era. It seems she can prevent the Fourth Shinobi War. But upon arrival a young sensor picks up her trial, a certain grey haired shinobi. Will she succeed or get awfully distracted?
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Senju Tobirama
Comments: 34
Kudos: 233





	1. Chapter 1

In the eerie silence a constant high pitched sound entered her consciousness. Slowly she became aware of cold hard ground underneath her body, then the smell of leaves, earth and grass. The cold seeped into her bones, numbing her. 

Around her twilight fell, she noticed the change through her eyelids. The coldness intensified, slowly descending from the tops of the trees, humidity in its wake. The moisture in the air seemed to coax more smells from her surroundings; there was bamboo and a whiff of wild honeysuckle. 

Time was of no consequence, she only existed within the moment, without a past or future. Consciousness came and went as it pleased. Her body felt heavy, like a rock pressing on the cold earth. 

While a part of her registered these sensory impressions emotionlessly, another part of her awoke with a start and a worried feeling began to nestle in her heart. Ever so slowly her identity and purpose resurfaced into her consciousness. While her mind seemed to become whole and aware, she realised quickly that her body was rather broken. 

Trying to move her limbs proved no success. While trying slowly feeling came back, accompanied by severe pain. Her blood drenched clothing was painfully stuck to her skin and wounds, in some places already dried up to a hard crust. More time seemed to pass while she was stuck in the moment, trying to move, slowly realising who she was. Haruno Sakura, medic nin, member of Team Seven. And then suddenly a thought struck her mind as if it were lightning. The battle! 

The idea seemed to fuel her chakra level, although she knew it to be impossible. With one swift movement, she shot up and stared around. Where was she! Where was the battlefield? Where was the noise of explosions, cries and weapons clattering? The smell of burned meat, fire, earth. She was in a peaceful forest and for the life of her, she couldn’t remember how she got there! There was a black void in her mind that she could not penetrate. Then she remembered the battle against the Kaguya goddess. She was thrown with incredible force backwards by the goddess, who screamed something about time. She looked around. Time? Was she in another time? Could it even be possible? 

There was no time to assess her situation further, she felt a strong chakra signature approaching. Fast. She stiffened. She was unfamiliar with her surroundings. There seemed no place to hide. Best to stay in the open and confront the person head on. Her own power was mostly based on taijutsu which worked best within arm range anyway. It was a gamble, but it was all she could think of in her weakened state. She noticed her heart rate increasing, while the chakra signature approached. 

Suddenly he was there, landing with a graceful leap in a crouched position on the ground before her, poised like a cat, the grass moving violently by the replacement of air. He stood with grace, limbs light and agile, his movements smooth, flowing like water. He was tall, shoulder broad, legs long. Staring down at her he folded his arms over his chest in haughty disdain. 

She met his gaze. Blue armour and a white fur collar made her gasp. “Nidaime-sama!” She bowed immediately, shaking, trying to catch her breath and trying to still her heartbeat. How was this possible? How could the Nidaime Hokage be here again? The Edo Tensei technique had been dispelled. 

Her mind was whirling, staring at his face. Her eyes scrutinized him, the grey hair, like Kakashi-sensei’s hair, reddish eyes, facial markings. His features were handsome, finely chiseled, well balanced, a straight nose and strong jaw, high cheekbones. He did not look like an Edo Tensei clone or body. He lacked the specific assembled markings. The more she started, the more she became convinced that he was very real and very alive. The impossibility of it, made way to the one leftover inevitable thought. Could I be in the past? 

His eyes were narrowed, his expression grave. Shit, she gave herself away with her reaction. They never officially met and now she displayed the fact that she did know him and respected him and acknowledged his status. How was she to explain this? She racked her brain about the Nidaime. 

He was known for his very direct communication style. He was stern and serious and responsible for almost the complete structural foundation of Konoha’s powerbase: the Police Force, the Ninja Academy, the Hospital, ANBU, the Genin- and Chuunin Examinations. History books recollected that he was a strong willed shinobi with a great love for his people and for Konoha. Secondary information sources stated that he tended to be devoid of emotion, constantly vigilant bordering on paranoia, but seen by others as merely suspicious and always weary. He died sacrificing himself to save his team of subordinates. A team that included Danzo, head of Root en the Sandaime-Hokage. 

Great. She gave him in the very first minute of their encounter a good reason to be suspicious of her and she could not undo it. 

Senju Tobirama assessed the kunoichi before him. There was no doubt she was a shinobi, her flak jacket gave her away, as well her hitai-ate, which said ‘Shinobi Rengōgun’, Allied Shinobi Forces. 

She felt extremely out of place to him, and how unlikely it seemed, he was certain that this girl just exited a battlefield. Her wounds were fresh, he could smell the blood. She was shaking lightly, but there were no signs of shock, she was battle hardened. 

He frowned while analyzing. She didn’t belong here, there existed no Allied Shinobi Force and female kunoichi were as good as non-existing. There was no battlefield in the vicinity that could have caused her wounds. There was just no way she could exist here at this moment. His brain raced, probing all options. She recognized him. She called him Nidaime. How could that be? He was second to Hashirama in line. What knowledge did she possess? 

Tobirama was a man of high intelligence. Quick to analyse situations and make fast decisions while depending on hard evidence. Also he was a realist. There was no way he could fool himself from any truth. He always chose the hardest path to take, truth, even the unlikely truth. Ruling all the probable explanations out, he was left with the improbable ones. 

He realized this kunoichi did not belong in this place and this time. The more he looked at her, the more likely this theory seemed to be. Could that be possible? It was not a big leap of thought for a shinobi that was constantly developing space-time ninjutsu. The question was from where and when she came. He frowned. 

She looked startled, he literally saw the wheels turning behind her eyes. If she knew him, she must have realized by now, what his character was. She must realize how suspicious she would have made him with her reaction. He wondered what story she would invent to convince him that she was trustworthy. The chance that she would just blurt out the truth was not very likely. If she would have met a lesser shinobi, she would have been killed on the spot on suspicion of mental illness or just plain deception. What was the best cause of action? How could he make her prove his peculiar theory? Start with the basics.

“State our name, kunoichi.” His voice was deep and rich, but monotone and deadly serious. 

Her mind worked frantically, searching for the best course of action. Honesty or deception? She doubted she could fool this legendary Hokage in any way. Maybe a half-truth would be best under the circumstances. She straightened her back. “Haruno Sakura, Senju-sama!” She figured it wouldn’t matter if she used his name anyway. He knew. She saw he knew. And she wondered how much he knew. 

“Haruno?” He frowned. First proof for his theory as far as he was concerned. There existed no Haruno-clan. 

“Kunoichi, explain your hitai-ate and the non-existence of this clan in these lands”

She frowned. He was not beating around the bush! What to tell? “The Haruno clan consists of merchants, Senju-sama. You are right, we are not from here, but travel through these lands. Allied Shinobi Forces is a small band of masterless shinobi that I was part of and that protected our economic interests, but they were killed. I am the only survivor.” 

She fell silent. It was a meagre lie. She waited with a beating heart for his reaction because it would tell her the extent of his suspicions. 

There was no sign of wavering suspicions. He kept on frowning, arms crossed. Then he sniffed the air, looking up suddenly. The faint light shone on his pale face, the facial tattoos clearly visible. It reminded her of the Inuzuka clan, sniffing the air like that made him look feral, like a fierce animal in pursuit of prey. His stoic expression did not falter and he sighed warily. His deep voice stated tonelessly: “Kunoichi, we will see about your statement. Night is falling. There is a secret shelter close by, five minutes. We will go there and tend to your wounds. Can you run?” She nodded silently. 

He took off without warning, jumping from tree to tree. She followed as fast as she could but her body felt like it was made of stone. It took more than five minutes and she felt more dead than alive when he came to a halt by a small crack in a rock face. He went in, carefully, sideways. There was a small space inside, with one bed, draped with fur blankets, a small fire still going. There was a small pan next to the fire with some rice, already cooked. He must have been here, sensing her presence the moment she arrived. 

The temperature inside was comfortable and she sighed relieved. A wave of tiredness flooded her senses. She squatted down where she stood, leaning her back against the wall feeling dizzy. 

He prodded around in the cave. A loud clang told her he had taken off his armour, carelessly throwing it on the ground. She faintly noticed he removed his happuri, revealing a more boyish and soft face. She dozed off for a small amount of time. 

Then she was startled by a gentle tug on her shoulder and she instinctively grabbed for a kunai, but her pouch was missing, no doubt a precaution of the Nidaime. She must have slept longer than she realized. 

A bowl of rice was held under her nose. She didn’t realize her hunger until she smelled the food and started to wolf down the content of the bowl. Her hunger made the rice taste like nothing she ever ate before, fragrant, warm, sweet with a hint of salt. The warmth of it made her feel better. It spread from her belly throughout her limbs, causing the pain returning with a vengeance. 

She looked at him. He was sitting next to the fire, eating rice, looking at her. His mouth hidden behind his bowl, he gestured towards two thick pieces of bamboo stuck in the hot coals. She carefully leaned forward, took one, opening the lid. She smelled tea and carefully sipped from it while staring in the fire. She noticed a large kettle hanging above the licking flames, heating water. 

When he was done eating and sipping his tea, he spoke again, face expressionless. “Haruno-san. It may seem imprudent, but seeing your state, I will assist you with cleaning your wounds. It is important to clean them before they infect. Will you trust me?” 

She nodded. He was right. She felt weak and tired and she had no chakra left to heal herself. Lifting her hands was difficult. Tending her wounds would have to wait until morning. So it was imperative that they would be cleaned before they closed up permanently during her sleep. 

She looked down at her clothing, clotted and stuck to her skin. He seemed to guess her thoughts: “Don’t worry Haruno-san. There is a spare outfit in this shelter for emergencies. I think this is such an emergency.” 

He was looking at this strange kunoichi with interest. She was exhausted, but didn’t seem fazed by the idea of a stranger washing her. She seemed aware of the necessity of cleaning her wounds, giving it priority above her prudence. 

The journey towards the cave had surprised him. He wasn’t used to female kunoichi or women keeping up with his speed and she was even wounded. Her strange hair colour made her look exotic, although the colour was now lost in the yellow and golden light of the fire. She wasn’t bothered by her wounds too much. She ran to this place for a full ten minutes without complaints and with a constant speed. Her chakra reserves were almost gone and still she had been keeping up with him. Her mental state was strong. She was a battle hardened kunoichi, an alien concept to him, but one that fascinated him to no end. 

They waited for a moment for the water to come to a boil. Suddenly he noticed her eyes becoming abnormally large, fixating on the fire. Her whole demeanour changed from a deep tiredness to a tense posture. She started shaking, a horrified expression on her face. She started to pant quickly, eyes seemingly looking at a confronting scene that played in her mind. She chanted softly in herself “No… no… no …no..” Then her eyes widened, then she stood up, body poised, crying with fear evident in her voice: “Neji!!! Nooo!!!!” Wailing, she hugged herself, moving back and forth, repeating the name over and over in herself. 

He knew what this was, all warriors experienced it after traumatic events. She was reliving the events of the battle. He sighed. This was the reason he and his brother tried desperately for peace between the clans. War left scars. He stood up quickly and rested his hand on her shoulders, softly tugging at her. She seemed to snap out of her memories. Her eyes met his and realisation kicked in. She sank to her knees, all strength leaving her. Only then tears started to leak out of her eyes, uncontrollably they fell down, trying to wash away the experience. He sunk through his knees until he was facing her, his face inches away from hers. 

She spoke with trembling lips: “Hyuuga Neji. I couldn’t save him. He died saving Naruto. He sacrificed himself but I couldn’t safe him. All my training and I couldn’t do it. Death took him….” She let the tears flow freely without shame. 

“Sakura…. “ under the circumstances, he naturally left off the honorific. “It wasn’t your fault. You did well trying to save your comrades. But death is part of a shinobi’s life. If he died in battle, it was an honourable death” 

She grabbed his arms, holding him tightly, staring into his red eyes wildly: “I can transform my cells in such a way that I can survive death. I was mortally wounded and survived because of my techniques. But I couldn’t save him. I was too late. Why was I too late?” Her shoulders shook and she cried. 

Tobirama moved on instinct, pulling her close to his body while she mentally fell apart in his arms. They sat next to the fire, frozen in the moment. Tobirama felt her burying her face in his neck, while he held her delicate body with his calloused hands, wondering about the battle that this small kunoichi had fought in. He held her until she calmed down and she came to her senses enough to blush about the intimate moment she was having with the legendary Nidaime Hokage. He seemed unfazed by the intimacy though, his face impassive. They were shinobi and as such, they shared an intimate and special bond that connected them even through time. Imprudent intimacy would not be tolerated in the civilian society and clan life that he was part of, but in a shinobi life gender boundaries were non-existing and these moments were accepted. As shinobi they were equals.


	2. "You need to remove your clothes". His deep voice rumbled…

“You need to remove your clothes.” His deep voice rumbled through her body, while her blush intensified. He tried to reassure her: “Do not worry Haruno-san. I will not take advantage”. Maybe he was too forward with this, but he felt it was important to be completely honest and transparent. His bluntness did nothing to keep the blush from staining her cheeks. He was suddenly worried that she had scars other than battle wounds or losing loved ones. But she just blushed, he could detect no fear. 

While she stood shakily, tugging at her flak jacket, he took the kettle of water from the fire and some clean white cloth. In vain she tried to pry off her clothing, but large parts of the blood soaked fabric seemed dried up and stuck to her skin. 

He said softly: “Here let me try this…” And he took a cloth, soaking it with warm water and started to wet the dried patches making the crusts go soft. Making sure to have eye contact first, he took with slow and deliberate movements a kunai to cut through her shirt and bindings from the back. The rags fell to the ground and she suddenly felt air around her breast, a vulnerable feeling. The wounds stung painfully and started bleeding again. 

He washed her back and she felt rivulets of water pouring down her spine and her front, forming a pool around her feet. She hissed from time to time when he cleaned a particularly large gash. After he was done, she turned towards him and he washed her front body without any indication of embarrassment about this intimacy. She blushed violently now. He noticed her embarrassment and an involuntary thought entered his mind: she is beautiful when her blush is complementing her pink hair and skin. 

But outwardly, he tried to stay business like in his actions. She must be hurting, but only an occasional hiss betrayed her feelings. Her body was hardened, all muscle and no body fat, very different from the soft bodies of the clan women. Scars were emerging from underneath the blood and dirt. He traced them involuntarily while washing. 

When done, he stepped behind her again, using the same technique of water to loosen the fabric. Then used the kunai to strip her of her pants. He felt awkward suddenly, but reprimanded himself, cleaning her bottom and long legs with business like strokes. The wounds were less deep here. She turned around while he was still crouching. He tried not to look at her sex, but felt a warm heat crawl up at his face. Stoically he proceeded, counting to ten in his mind and then it was done. 

Sakura noticed his blushing face. He looked handsome. Some part of her was vaguely flattered that she could make him blush with her body, but it felt strange and forbidden. He was like a father to the village and villagers and that is how she always had perceived his presence in the rocks above Konoha. He was one of the Founding Fathers of the village even though right now he was hardly ten years her senior. His expression stayed emotionless despite the blush. 

His deep rumbling voice, turned her insides to mush and she wished he would keep talking. “My apologies Haruno-San, if I have made you feel uncomfortable. The wounds are clean now. Your hair?” 

She nodded, amazed at the strange situation that she was in. She bent over the kettle dipping her hair in and she felt his hands massaging her skull, rinsing the blood out of her hair. Afterwards he dried her hair with another cloth. She felt exhausted. Her limbs weighed tons and she couldn’t even lift her arms. 

But she was not done yet. He started to bandage the deepest wounds with fresh white cloth. His calloused hands were touching her skin now and then, inflicting a trail of goose bumps on her skin. When everything was neatly covered he helped her get into the spare clothing. She looked better, but exhausted. Her legs were shaking uncontrollably, and she felt too weak to stand straight. But before she could collapse, Tobirama picked her up without effort and carried her towards the bed, sitting her down on the side. He looked at her thoughtfully. 

“Kunoichi. You are experiencing hypothermia and shock. The night will be cold and you need to be warm to heal and replenish your chakra. I will share my body heat with you tonight. Do I have your permission?” Not completely understanding, she nodded silently, she would agree to anything as long as she could lay down and sleep. 

To her vague surprise, she felt him slide next to her under the covers. He hesitated, then slipped his arm underneath her neck, pulling her head onto his shoulder. Her body followed suit until she lay flush against him. A strangely comfortable position. Tensely he held her delicate body until he felt her finally relax against him. 

Her hair smelled vaguely sweet, though the blood and dirt was still there. He had washed out wounds and warmed comrades in cold nights before, but never a woman. He tried to be indifferent about it, but had to admit to himself that he found her enticing, beautiful and mysterious. Sakura, cherry blossom. What surprised him the most was that he was lying here unarmed and totally relaxed with her in his arms. And he did not know the first thing about her. She could murder him in his sleep. But strangely he did not care right this moment. He felt at peace and he drifted off into a black velvety sleep. His nose buried in her hair. 

She was restless part of the night, reliving memories of the war. He knew what to do and held her silently, speaking soft words of comfort, until she drifted off to sleep again. 

He woke up first to a golden light illuminating the cave. The cold made their breath visible. Cursing that he needed to leave the warmth of the bed, he got up nevertheless prying the kunoichi from his body. To his relief, she kept on sleeping peacefully. 

He made the fire, cooked rice and then woke her up. She looked up at him, squinting. 

He held a bowl out to her. “Eat.” 

She took the bowl in silence, eating the rise while her slim legs dangled over the edge of the makeshift bed. Then she carefully put down her bowl and looked at him. “I have enough chakra now to heal some of my wounds.” 

She hesitated when he looked surprised. “I am a medic ninja” she stated simply. 

He watched her, fascinated, when her fingers glowed a soft green. Seemingly without any effort, she healed her wounds. He never saw anyone heal wounds so fast and so complete. He was impressed. And it seemed another bit of proof of his theory about her. 

When they ate the leftover rice and drank tea, Tobirama cleared up the cave and put the fire out. He put on his armour, trying to close the bands under his arms. It was a slow process. 

“Here, let me”, she spoke softly. He looked up and grunted approvingly. With quick lean hands she attached his armour. He fastened his happuri and when she looked up, she saw the man of the rocks again, the Nidaime Hokage. 

“Haruno-san. We will travel to the Senju compound to meet my brother.” 

She paled and turned away from him to hide her reaction. But she wasn’t quick enough. 

Tobirama spoke his suspicion: “Haruno-san, I can see my brother is familiar to you. I can see how his mentioning is shocking to you. Please tell me why that is.”

Taking a breath and opening her mouth he put up his hand to silence her. Warningly he said: “Be careful kunoichi. I have my own theory about who and what you are. Please make sure to not underestimate me and be a servant of the truth. It will serve you better than dishonesty.”

She looked at him then, his stern face, devoid of emotion, his red eyes and handsome face. He stood there facing her, his arms crossed. She saw something flicker in his eyes, something vigilant, ruthless and emotionless. And she knew for certain that he would kill her if she was an enemy, no matter the intimacy and softness of the night. His coldness hurt her more than she cared to admit. After last night’s events she desperately wanted to see him as an ally or friend. She did not want to break his trust, if he trusted her in the first place. She needed an ally in this world. 

“Senju-sama… please give me some time to think…” He narrowed his eyes, and nodded curtly. “Do not get any ideas, I will be watching you.”

He departed the cave and she followed him swiftly in his wake. With a flash, he disappeared in the forest around the cave entrance. Squinting against the bright sunlight, she felt the rays warm her face. With a deep sigh and sat down in the tall grass, her back leaning against the cold rock. 

Her mind was racing. What would she do and what should she do? It was unlikely that she would return home any time soon. If Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi defeated Kaguya, there was no way they would be able to bring her back….the mere thought brought tears that started to burn in her eyes. 

As if the tears burst a dam, a gulf of despair washed over her. She was lost, she would never see her friends again. She was lost in the past and Konoha didn’t even exist yet! Never again eating ramen with Naruto, never scolding Kakashi about his porn, never training with Tsunade, never would her eyes meet those of Sasuke again. Tears ran over her cheeks, her shoulders hunching. And for a while she let the grief wash over her, like a giant wave. She could only stay still, frozen in the chaos of her emotions. 

After a while the sadness faded away, making place for determination. She had to come to terms with reality. She was not in an alien territory. She was in the care of the Nidaime Hokage and he was the founder of all that she was brought up with during her life. Somehow there was a link between them. He was Tsunade’s great uncle. He was Hokage of the village. She was his subordinate, even if she was from the future. He was not her enemy! And she needed him, to defeat the enemy, or at least try. She had to change time itself….. 

The idea froze her for a while. The implications running through her mind. She let the thought sink in, analysing all possible outcomes. It was complicated, she could see so many possibilities, so many pawns that were involved. She had an analytical brilliant mind, but this was beyond her capabilities. What she needed, was a second opinion. 

She smiled to herself. How convenient to have Lord Second in the vicinity. But how to convince him? Honesty. He was already suspicious of her, and that suspicion would not go away until she told the truth, he would recognize the truth, right? She hoped he would instead of killing her on the spot. 

“Nidaima-sama!” 

After a few moments he strode out of the forest. She blinked. He looked so impressive, his movements fluid, the fur collar and happuri giving him a majestic aura. His features were handsome, the facial tattoos complementing his red eyes. He stopped before her. He noticed she looked nervous. 

“Please Haruno-san. Do not be nervous. Let us sit down.”

The sun was still shining, warming their bodies. The grass smelled sweet. Tobirama sank down and sat on his knees, putting his hands on his thighs. He closed his eyes for a moment and enjoyed the feeling of the sun on his face. While he tried to look vulnerable like this to coax the girl into trusting him, he also relished the sun and this silence before the storm. What she would say next, would have a grave effect on their relationship. 

Opening his eyes again, he focussed on the reality of the nervous girl before him. It seemed she somehow recollected her calmth, sighed deeply and spoke. 

“Nidaime-sama. My name is Haruno Sakura, jounin level shinobi, part of Team Seven, medically skilled, apprentice of your grandniece Senju Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure. I am lost in the past. I was battling in the Fourth Shinobi War and was cast backwards in time against my will by the enemy, the Kaguya goddess. I am unable to return home. Please accept my servitude to the Senju-clan and future village of Konoha.” She bowed. 

When sitting straight again, she noticed how emotional these words made her. They were stinging with tears and a single one escaped her right eye. It made her angry all of a sudden. She felt vulnerable, lost and alone. She looked at her hands, trying to control her emotions. 

It was a while before Tobirama spoke. He was deep in thought. It was as he suspected. So Hashirama’s dream became reality after all! The girl was emotional. She was avoiding his gaze. He was grateful she told him the truth. And he believed her without a doubt, but more proof was needed to be absolutely certain. 

“ I want to believe you, however, your tale is unlikely. If you are speaking the truth can you offer proof?” 

Her mind raced, he hadn’t dismissed the idea altogether! She wracked her brain for information on the two brothers. What information did she have that wasn’t generally known or could be found out by a spy? 

“I know that you lost your two little brothers to this dreadful war with the Uchiha, Kawarama-san and Itama-san. I know that your brother secretly befriended Uchiha Madara and that your father decided to ambush him. It came to a confrontation between the Uchiha and Senju, but Madara-sama and Hashirama-sama put a stop to the fight. Sadly, they became enemies after that. 

You and your brother share a dream of a shinobi system where children do not need to fight in wars. An alliance with the Uchiha is needed, but the alliance is still not accomplished. Your life philosophy is the Will of Fire. You are a formidable shinobi, water user and inventor of the Yin and Yang Release, Summoning Techniques, Barrier Ninjutsu, Shadow Clone Technique, Flying Thunder God Technique Hiraishin, Tandem Explosive Tags and Edo Tensei. And you have the best sensory skills of all. That must have been how you detected me in the first place.”

He fell silent, completely shocked at this display of information. The death of his brothers and the encounter with Madara she could have collected through spies. But the information about his skills, some of those jutsu he was working on at the moment and nobody knew about them, not even his brother! So it was really true…. 

“Haruno-san, your story rings of truth.” He waited to let his words sink in. As he suspected, she let the tears run freely. She must have been scared of his reaction. Uncharacteristically he lifted his hand toward her face and lifted her chin up. “Sakura-san, do not fear or be sad. You will be most welcome in the Senju-clan. I will introduce you to my brother, we will make a home for you there and find out a solution for your predicament. And please, call me Tobirama-san. Nidaima-sama makes me feel old and awkward. I have not yet earned such honorific.” He was silent for a moment and then asked: “Can you tell me how you ended up in this time era?”

“Yes, I can tell you what I know. But I fear that I do not understand the technicalities of it. I was fighting in the Fourth Shinobi War. That is why I was wounded. Our enemy turned out to be the Kaguya goddess. In a chaotic moment of the battle she somehow threw me backwards. I felt myself flying through the air, until all went black. Apparently I landed into the past. My friends are still fighting there…. I hope they are alright….” 

He interrupted her immediately. “Do not pain yourself with such thoughts. They are not fighting there. They do not exist yet.”

She blinked. He was right. But it didn’t feel like that in her heart. 

“The war was headed towards the end of the world, Tobirama-san. When I was cast into the past, …. it was a desperate moment. In the end it seemed that even Naruto and Sasuke, my teammates were no match for her powers. The events that lead to this war are rooted in this time. I wonder if we can alter the future to prevent this war and consequently the ending of this world. But I am very wary that by disclosing information to you, history will change for the worst. What should I do? How should I proceed? I just cannot stay passive in this matter.” 

She was rattling. He vaguely realised she was apparently part of a team that was powerful enough to fight the biggest threat they ever faced. What did that say about her power? 

“Sakura-san, I understand your doubts and resolutions. This however, is no place to discuss them. We are in Uchiha territory. Let us discuss the matter with Hashirama. Are you fit enough to travel to the Senju compound? It is a two day journey without injuries.”

“I think so. If we can have some breaks when needed.”

“Agreed.” He pushed himself to stand. He held out his hand to her, a small curl in the corner of his mouth betraying his mood. She took it, noticing the callousness and warmth of his hand. He pulled her to her feet. “Do not worry kunoichi. All will be well. If you are stuck here. I will do all within my power to help you find your way.” She felt warmth hitting her cheeks instantly, warmth and happiness. And then he took off into the trees. Silently cursing his speed, she followed suit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please drop a review if you liked this story!


	3. The sun was descending towards the horizon…..

The sun was descending towards the horizon when Tobirama finally made a stop. She had not asked for a break yet, but he could see her face getting an ashen quality that he dared not intensify. So they halted and sat silently in a patch of tall grass surrounded by an airy forest. He took something from his pouch, handing it to her. It was some kind of energy food, an early form of soldier pills. She gladly took it and ate silently. He handed her some water as well. 

“Your chakra levels are rising. We will make a small fire here and sleep. I will keep watch.” She nodded, getting up to gather wood. 

When the fire was made, Tobirama went into the woods without a word. After a considerable amount of time he returned with two dead rabbits tied together at the feet and flung over his shoulder. He started cleaning them with his kunai and soon enough the smell of roast rabbit tickled her nose pleasantly. While the meat was roasting, the dripping fat causing hissing sounds in the fire, they set up traps, dug a small latrine and made a cover to sleep under. 

He remained stoic in his expression and short in his answers, and sometimes just downright non-communicative. Still she felt at ease with him. They worked seamlessly together, as if they busied a routine that was based on years of experience. And she smiled inwardly at the irony of it all. The Nidaime Hokage was the founder of her village and her school. He had set up the basic shinobi training and it was this training that she put into practice here, with him. It made so much sense that the way she was taught how to make camp was identical to what they were executing now. 

She smiled softly to herself. From the moment she woke up in the Warring State Era, she felt distinctly out of place and out of time. But despite her modern upbringing, the Nidaime felt close to home. Their worlds and the problems they both faced in life, were not so very different from each other. Somehow he stood at the very foundation of her upbringing and it made her feel strangely at ease with this stern man in a matter of hours. 

After eating the rabbit meat, they relaxed close to the fire. The warm meat seemed to glow inside of her and she felt her limbs become heavy with fatigue. She noticed him being lost in thought, staring into the fire. The flames shimmered in his happuri and the glowing embers seemed to enhance the colour of his eyes and his facial tattoos. 

“Tobirama-san… how far is the Senju stronghold from here?” It felt so weird using his first name like that. Like being disrespectful to your grandfather. But she thought he most definitely did not look as a grandfather and immediately that dreadful heat rose to her cheeks again. 

“Another day of travel. You are quick, despite your injured body.” He looked at her. She seemed exhausted, her cheeks were rosy from the fire. She was damned quick. He was surprised by their progress and her stoic determination. 

“Is there a chance that we will be attacked by enemies?”

“Moderately big, we are travelling through the southern tip of Uchiha lands now. We might be caught by a patrolling squad. Fortunately I can sense them pretty well and far in advance. Hopefully we do not encounter trouble.” He prodded the fire with a stick, small flints of fire swirling upwards to the starry sky. 

She was shocked. What a strange era, this Warring States era. What a waste of time and shinobi. How can they not see that cooperation will save them all this death and pain? She had to bite her tongue, not to inquire after the peace treaty with the Uchiha. She couldn’t change history until she discussed the matter with Tobirama and his brother. She sighed. 

He mistook her sigh for another emotion and he looked at her sharply: “Sakura-san, are you feeling alright?”.

“Yes, thank you. But I do feel awkward because I am sharing a meal with one of my village’s legends. It is strange to suddenly take part in the history of my village. And it is nothing like the books. I find you a human being instead of a superhero.” 

She smiled softly. He looked mildly surprised and then chuckled with his low voice: “Nor do I feel a hero! I am just a man and one that is learning every day to be a shinobi and how to survive. My accomplishments are nothing but blood and death up till now.” 

His mood grew grim, he squared his shoulders and then added softly: “But I want that to change, I am tired of bloodshed. I want to start building, instead of destroying.” He kept staring in the fire, lost in his own thoughts. 

“I grew up in a world that you helped build, a world where children do not need to die in war. Your wish will come true….”. She said it softly, it felt wrong to disclose that information before they talked with the Shodaime Hokage, but she had the urge to lift his spirits to comfort him. 

He looked up then, his red eyes trying to read her face. Whatever he saw made him relax. He softly muttered: “Thank you for your kind words Sakura-san. That is …. comforting, that notion that this suffering is not in vain.” 

He smiled then, and she felt butterflies flutter in the depth of her stomach. He was handsome when he smiled, his sharp angular face and his slanted eyes gave him an exotic regal beauty. She noticed she held her breath unable to speak for a while. She felt the slow heat rising to her cheeks again. Thank god for the glow of the fire! 

He stood up to rummage through the bushes, securing traps. Her eyes followed him hungrily. He walked with lethal grace, like a panther or lion. She could not help staring at his lean muscular body, and she cursed herself, but her eyes stayed glued on him. She must have spaced out., because he had sneaked up on her without her noticing. His low rumble next to her ear startled her: “Like what you see, kunoichi?” 

He said what? She turned beet red in total shock. He smirked, his deep eyes sparkling. There was something beneath his tease. He seemed amused, and also …. pleased at her apparent fascination with him. 

He sat behind the restless flames, his back comfortably against a log, arms crossed over his chest. “Get some sleep, kunoichi”. 

She curled up next to the fire, still recovering from the outrageous remark he made. It had sounded like flirting and it stood in sharp contrast with her perception of him, of everything she was taught about him. The earth underneath her was cold and hard, but she would sleep anyway, she was used to sleeping without blankets or extra clothing. She still felt flustered, but after a while her heart rate slowed and she felt her eyes grow heavy. Then nothingness. 

Suddenly she heard screaming. She smelled the battlefield before she saw it, burned flesh penetrated her nostrils, it’s sweetness nauseating. In the distance through black clouds of smoke, she could discern Neji protecting Naruto. As soon as she focussed on the Hyuuga, all smells and sounds ceased to exist and in the deafening silence she started running. But to her frustration she made no progress, her shoes stuck in some kind of sticky substance. She panicked then: “Neji! Noooo!!!!”

The spears came searing down with incredible speed. Too many to count and with sickening thudding sounds, they pierced his flesh. Too late! Focussing on his pain, she could feel the life slip from his body, but could not act. She was frozen, glued to the ground. She screamed and wailed. 

And then suddenly there was anger, white, hot familiar anger, comforting her, enveloping her like a favorite blanket. Her chakra surged through her arm and hand and she aimed to split the earth. Then a low, dark voice seemed to emerge through her anger, pushing it aside, reaching her mind, clearing it: “Sakura! Sakura!” 

The scene before her mind’s eye crumbled and she regained her consciousness. She heard herself screaming, voice raw, echoing in the night. Tobirama held her, holding her arm with all his might. It took all his strength to keep her from hitting the ground with her chakra infused fist. “Sakura! Kuso! Wake up! It was a dream!” Startled, she let her chakra leak out in a controlled manner. Panting, she kept staring at him, his face flickering between Neji and himself and when she felt her regular chakra return, she cried softly. 

He relaxed immediately. Just holding her trembling body, caressing her back, murmuring soothing words in the nape of her neck. “It is over, calm down. It is not your fault Neji died. It was not your fault. He died an honorable death as a shinobi. Calm down Sakura.” She cried in his arms and let the grief take her for a moment. She had no defenses left and felt limb.

After a while she looked up at him: “Will these.. episodes… go away?” He looked down at her, his faces inches from her. “No, they are an intricate part of a shinobi life. But reliving your memories is a way of making them less painful. I can teach you some meditation techniques to aid the process. Eventually they will become more distant, the acute pain fading. You will have more control over them.” 

As if it was the most natural thing to do, she cuddled further into his chest and murmured: “It is so strange that I have this episode about Neji. He was not in my team, I barely knew him. Far worse things happened to Naruto and Sasuke…”

“We do not get to choose a memory that haunts us, Sakura. But to be honest, I think this one is important because it revolves around the core of your character.” She frowned up at him. “What do you mean?”

“You are a medical kunoichi. You are trained to save people by healing them. Someone dying on your watch, however distant he may be in terms of personal contact, is a personal failure for you because you are trained to heal people. It feels like failing in your life’s purpose and you feel guilty because you healed yourself but could not heal him.” 

And she knew him to be right. “I guess that is true…” 

She felt the tears coming again and she let them. He held her, slowly stroking her back and hair. He was so warm and his presence comforting. After a while she felt herself dozing off. The last thing she noticed was that he leaned back on the log, letting her upper body rest on his chest. She felt safe and at peace. 

While her breathing slowed down, he took his time to screen the surroundings for enemy chakra. It seemed they were lucky tonight, he could detect nothing. The warm body on top of him, made him muse about this strange girl. Everything about her screamed that she was out of place and time, but the way she made camp, the way she followed him cautiously through the forests confirmed her shinobi training. He had a strong feeling of recognition. She acted often just like himself and he suspected that it was a natural effect of Hashirama’s and his own influence on the village that they would build in the future. She acted strange but familiar at the same time. 

He smirked thinking about how her eyes followed him around the campfire. She felt some kind of attraction, it was obvious. And being honest with himself, he admitted that he felt the same attraction to her. She was beautiful, intelligent and a shinobi. Her pink hair and green eyes made her beauty exotic. 

Her trauma was severe though. He felt relieved to have stopped her chakra enhanced fist in her sleep. He did not know what her shinobi powers were, but he had a bad feeling about the outcome if he would not be around. However improper it may be, she would have to sleep in his chambers when they arrived in the Senju camp. It was too dangerous for her to sleep alone for now. He would talk to Hashirama about it. He sighed, the gossip within the clan would be enormous. 

When sunlight touched her sleeping form, she woke peacefully. She welcomed the warm rays of light and then realized she was sitting with her back against the Nidaime! She tried to sit up quickly, but his arms were locked tight around her, holding her into place. “Shhhhh,…. “. She turned to look at his face, inches from hers. His face expressionless, he said:“Just enjoy the sun for a little while longer…”. She lay her head back, secretly liking the idea very much. And he just couldn’t help himself. He just felt comfortable. 

After a while he sighed. “Well, I guess we must.” When standing at eye level he stared at her with those strange red eyes. “Sakura-san. I do not know the extent of your shinobi power, but it was potentially a dangerous situation last night. I will not let the Senju compound or its people get hurt because of your nightly terrors, intentional or not. So you will sleep in my quarters for a few weeks until the memories are not as vivid. Do you agree?”

She nodded silently. 

“Good. It will be done so.” He hesitated, then smirked: “Then you don’t have to stare so much from a distance any more.” He quickly stood and took off in the green eaves of the trees, chuckling softly. She was utterly shocked, her mouth agape. This was NOT happening! This was the Nidaime Hokage for kami’s sake! Did he just make a flirtatious remark? She had a feeling that her scarlet face would stay that colour for the remainder of the day. What was she getting herself into? 

\------------- 

They arrived without incidents at the Senju Compound during nightfall. Fires were lit. Tobirama walked towards the guarded gates with an elegant regal stride. The guards nodded silently in respect. 

It was a large traditional set of houses, guards everywhere. People wore traditional clothing, she occasionally saw a man or woman dressed in yukata. She smelled woodfire, caught a glimpse of a vegetable garden and noticed an intimate garden to enjoy privately. She smelled animals, it was like a small village, all that was needed was within the safe walls of the compound. 

They stopped in front of the largest house. A large boulder lay in the sand before it. Tobirama took off his sandals, placing them carefully on top of the stone and stepped on the engawa. She followed his example and followed him walking softly over the engawa until he opened sliding doors. They walked through corridors and then suddenly they stood in the office of the Shodai Hokage. She looked at him and immediately looked down. She felt the blood drain out of her face. The Shodai Hokage! This was really him! The God of Shinobi! She trembled and then bowed deeply “Shodai-sama..eh... Senju-sama….” she was stammering. 

Hashirama looked astonished, but regained his composure, stood quickly and welcomed her with a wide grin. “Ah! Finally my little brother takes a girl home!” Sakura blinked. What did he say?

Tobirama spat at him: “Watch it! Anija! You are getting on my nerves already!”

Hashirama laughed with all his might. Sukura almost felt the shoji panels shuddering. She still felt just completely paralyzed by the presence of this Shinobi God and she didn’t know what to say. Fortunately for her, the two brothers continued to bicker about manners and irritations, when finally Tobirama crossed his arms, huffed and started to be very interested in a distant corner of the room, while Hashirama bowed to Sakura, welcoming her, smiling from ear to ear. Her nervousness was lightened by his informal attitude and she thanked him. 

“Please, you are welcome under my roof. I will send a meal for the three of us, and then you can tell me about yourself.”

“Please Senju-sama, my name is Haruno Sakura. And you are very kind.”

An elderly lady came into the room soundlessly, her face wrinkled like an old raisin. “Baachan, please, take Haruno-san to refresh herself and get her new clothing if she wishes.” 

Sakura bowed to Hashirama and followed the old lady further into the house. Soon, they came to a bathing area. To Sakura’s absolute euphoria, there were tubs filled with hot water, the tile floor warm under her bare feet. Without any urging, she gladly took her clothes off and let herself sink into the warm water. She felt her body relax completely. She stared at the old beams of the house above her, shiny from treatment with sesame oil. The old woman did not talk, but smiled sweetly at her. She took a brush and started to brush her hair with soft hands. “Such nice hair, Haruno-san. A pretty colour!” 

“Please baachan, my name is Sakura” 

“Ne, Sakura? How suitable. Very well Sakura-chan.” The old woman chuckled and then she puffed and huffed until she stood straight. “Sakura-chan, I will fetch you some clothes now. Please, here is soap.”

When she was scrubbed clean, the old lady slowly entered the room again with a willowgreen yukata in her arms. She took it from her: “Bachan, this is civilian clothing.” 

“Yes dear, it would be improper for you to be dressed in shinobi clothing, ne?”

She let the issue go. She felt strange and awkward in the yukata. It complemented her hair and eyes, but if felt a lifetime ago to wear something so feminine like this. 

The old lady brought her to another room, where Hashirama and Tobirama sat around a low table on the ground, softly talking with each other in hurried voices, small sake bowls in their hands. They looked up when she entered. Hashirama looked pleased, smiled and got to his feet to bid her welcome. Tobirama however, just seemed shocked to see her, his eyes wide and his cheeks were slowly turning a rosy colour. Sakura noticed and decided to tease him a bit. She smiled and winked at him. When he finally got up to welcome her, she said softly: “Like what you see?” He turned beet red immediately. 

Hashirama stood rooted to the spot, staring at their interaction. Instead of his thundering laugh, he had his eyes narrowed, looking serious. What had aspired between these two in such a short amount of time? 

At the table stood bowls filled with white rice, some pickles, cooked eggs and bitter greens, dried bonito and soy for seasoning. She ate like she hadn’t eaten in days. It all tasted so good! She noticed Tobirama eating with the same eagerness. Hashirama just sipped his sake. When they were satisfied, he spoke, cutting through the silence: “Haruno-san, my brother reported to me. And though I am pleased that you are the living proof that our wish will come true in the near future, I am troubled about your presence here and the effect that it will have on that same future.” 

“Hai, Shodaime-sama.” she felt nervous again. It was impossible to not feel impressed sitting with the two of them. And now they would debrief her. She was afraid that they would read her like a book. Hashirama continued. 

“So I feel we first have to make a choice, Haruno-san. We must search our hearts and be honest about what we find there. Are we strong enough emotionally to let history run its course, even if we have knowledge of the future? Because if we want to change the outcome of this Fourth Shinobi War, it is necessary to know everything that has passed between this moment and the future. But we should only try to change parts that are absolutely necessary. Some tragedies will have to take place. That is knowledge and pain that we must bear. And we need to search our hearts to decide ourselves capable.” He fell silent and looked at the two of them. “Brother, are you capable of said capability? Can you watch tragedy from the sidelines and not be able to act?” 

Tobirama fell silent, deep in thought: “Niisan, I can only withhold myself from acting if the reasoning behind it is sound. For it to be sound, I think we need to hear the whole story from Sakura-san, so that the three of us can see through all cause and effect situations and decide together.”

Hashirama nodded. “I feel the same, brother. So be it.” 

Where she expected a debate all night long, it was decided just like that. So easy, so simple. They both looked at Sakura expectantly and she felt as if everything in the room was holding its breath. Then she talked with a shaking voice. She told them everything she knew about the end of the Warring State Era. 

The two brothers listened intently, sometimes interrupting to ask her questions, sometimes they were just perplexed or shocked even. Tobirama looked shaken at the death of Uchiha Izuna by his hands but more so the effects of his deed through time. Hashirama was amazed at the outcome of the final battle between him and Madara. He felt exposed to Sakura's knowledge of his secret techniques. But he was levelheaded enough to value this as evidence that she was indeed telling the truth. Nobody knew about some of those techniques, not even his brother. 

Tobirama was getting more and more grim while she unfolded the history of the Uchiha clan, the extinction by Uchiha Itachi’s hands on orders of the Hokage, the Akatsuki, Uchiha Obito’s story and in the end Uchiha Madara. The development of Konoha as a city and shinobi stronghold, was a ray of sun in all this and Hashirama was very enthusiastic when hearing of anything concerning it. But the fate of the Uchiha clan by Itachi’s hands kept troubling him and he steered the direction of the story there time and time again. Watching Tobirama, she knew he saw in it a confirmation of his suspicions of the Uchiha clan. It was well known that he never fully trusted them, even in his own days as Hokage. She wondered if that was caused by her coming here, and that she was meant to be here, or that he had other reasons. Maybe he was just suspicious about everybody. 

When she finally ended her history lesson, she felt completely drained. She managed to ignore their deaths, but she felt that her attempts were as seethrough as water for the both of them. They didn’t ask for this missing information. They probably suspected this was knowledge that they would not benefit from.

A deep silence followed. She felt emotional, tears trying to leave her eyes. What if they didn’t believe her? The thought plagued her still, even after Tobirama’s firm assurance that he did believe her. But Hashirama was not his brother. She watched him intently, waiting for him to speak. 

He was staring at his sake cup before him for a long while, closing his eyes from time to time until he spoke. His strong warm voice filled the room like bathwater. “Do not worry, Sakura-san. I believe your story. The things you told us seem to have a certain logic and you have intel on my techniques that even my brother is lacking.” Tobirama blinked. 

He continued: “I think I can speak for both of us that it is very unnerving to hear the ripple effects of our actions in the future, even though we had good intentions.” He sighed. “I think we need some time to process this.”

“Agreed brother.” Tobirama stood up, Sakura followed his example.

“Please Sakura-san, sleep in peace, no harm will come to you under my roof. Thank you for your story and patience with us, it is much appreciated.” He smiled.

\------- 

She followed Tobirama into another part of the building. Everywhere were the soft tatami mats underneath her bare feet, soft, itchy and crude at the same time. Many sliding doors were opened and closed, sometimes by himself, more often by others. 

Finally, when her sense of direction was finally gone, he led her into his personal quarters that looked very spartan. A small low table stood in front of a pair of sliding doors that were opened and showed an engawa facing a beautiful small green garden. The room was also covered with tatami mats, with enough room to do basic training. There was a large cupboard with sliding doors that showed shinobi clothing, weapons, and supplies for maintenance of weapons. She saw a double fuuton already laid down on the floor of another room. It lay also next to sliding doors facing, she guessed, the same small garden. A large square insect net was hanging from the ceiling surrounding it. 

Closing the sliding doors to the corridor, Tobirama muttered: “It is not much, but please make yourself at home. This will be our shared space for some time.” She nodded, walking towards the weapons cupboard eying his supplies. He took his happuri off and hung it on an apparently custom made support on the wall. Then he was struggling with his harness again. “Here, let me”. She closed the distance between them and tried to unfold the straps. She cursed softly, there was a tight knot. “Lift your arm”. 

He grunted in compliance and she tried again with success. She carefully took off his armour, careful not to touch him unnecessary. His smell invaded her senses, a sharp smell of sweat, the outdoors and something distinctly him and she felt the warmth radiating off his body. Her knees trembled a bit. Oh kami, he was so incredibly attractive! The familiar warmth in her cheeks started again, she fled his presence. 

When he left to bathe, she sat at the engawa to watch the garden and the starry night. At least something was still the same, she thought, while tracing the familiar stars in the night sky. Her mind was reeling from the past events. Did she make the right call? Was this information in good hands? She was impressed by their god-like status, but in the end they were just men. And they could make mistakes… then again, so could she. 

After a while Tobirama returned, wearing a fresh set of black pants, black shirt and an indigo colored hanten jacket. She noticed the Senju symbol embroidered on the back. And she realised that the weapon was also embroidered on her yukata’s hem. She frowned. He eyed her with some concern, while sitting down next to her. “Sakura-san… do you feel alright?”

“I was just wondering if it is not an insult to wear the Senju clan symbol on my yukata?” 

He smiled softly at her. “It would be an insult if you kept on wearing your own clan symbols in my house.” 

She sobered, thinking of her hitai-ate.. “Ah! I did not know.” 

“Was that the reason for your frowning?” 

“Well, I just realise that we cannot go back now. We have to deal with the information that I shared with you tonight. And I can’t stop wondering what will happen now. If we have learned anything tonight, it is that the effects of our actions can surprise us in a bad way.” 

“Do not let it trouble you. We will figure out a plan tomorrow. For now, let’s try to get some sleep.”

She nodded. Then looked at her yukata. “Do you have a shirt or something? I don’t want to sleep in this beautiful dress.”

“Feel free to check my closet for something that suits you.”

She walked towards the cupboard, feeling the roughness of the tatami under her feet. She took out a black shirt with black shinobi pants. It felt familiar to wear shinobi clothing. She felt more at home in these clothes. He seemed to notice her mood change. “Are you not used to wearing a yukata?” 

She laughed: “In my time a yukata is old fashioned, we only wear them at special occasions. Let’s say I am not used to dressing up in a yukata. At home I normally wear my personal shinobi outfit, or the village’s shinobi outfit in which I arrived. I have been fighting this war for a long time. I cannot remember when I wore civilian clothing, or a dress for that matter, last.”

“I see. It must feel like home to wear shinobi clothing here. I will try to find you something that fits tomorrow.”

She smiled:”That would be nice…”

“The yukata looked nice though”, he added cheekely. The effects of his words were the same as all the other times. She turned a beautiful shade of red. He chuckled. She stomped his shoulder. 

“Come kunoichi, we must sleep now. We had an exhausting few days.” He went to the fuuton, keeping away the insect nets to help her and then he laid down. He looked at her, padded the spot next to him with his hand. She laid down carefully avoiding his arms, lying as far to the side as possible. He looked at her from the side, serious. “Come Sakura-san, I told you that I would not let you accidently harm my people while having one of those episodes. You will sleep better next to me. I will not take advantage, you know that.” He tucked his arm underneath her neck and pulled her close. ”This way I will be certain you will not change this house into a crater when you have memories haunting you this night.” 

She felt his warmth and smelled his body, strong and male. In wonderment she realised she only knew him for three days, but he felt familiar and he made her feel so relaxed. He felt like the only piece of home available in this past. So she gave in, snuggling close to his warmth and let herself slip away into a peaceful sleep.

She woke up in a cocoon of warmth. She heard birds and felt sunlight around her. She opened her eyes and slowly took in her surroundings. She was lying with her head on Tobirama’s arm. He was still sleeping, face relaxed and breath even. His grim features were relaxed and he looked more like a boy again. He had not been sleeping the past two days, she was not surprised he was still out. 

She looked at his face mesmerized. His hair looked like a haystack. It was a curious colour grey that reminded her of Kakashi-sensei. The tattoos on his face, from close by they didn’t look like tattoos at all. It seemed to be some natural pigmentation of his face. How odd. She acted on impulse and traced the line on his cheek with her finger, wondering about it. He caught her wrist suddenly, staring at her with his red eyes. She suddenly was very aware of their close proximity and also his typical male morning issue pressing against her legs. Blushing, she cursed internally, and jumped up and out of bed. 

He followed her with his eyes. What a predicament! He was not sure where this attraction between them would lead to. It was strange that he formed this state of trust and ease with her in such a short time. He was not a casual man. His social skills were non-existing, mainly focussed on keeping the clan alive. He didn’t talk about his feelings or personality, he grew up with war and there was never time for emotions. There was just duty, bravery, endurance, rage, grief. Other emotions were somewhere sealed away. He didn’t do small talk, but he felt like he was opening up to her in a way that he didn’t know he was capable of in the first place. All his war experiences made him a closed off person. He didn’t want to feel too much in fear of that boiling pit of grief, pain and anger. But somehow she made him feel.. things….and they were light and positive. 

He shook his head, got out of bed and dressed himself. Sakura kept his clothes on, tying the too large shirt tight to her body with a sash, the pants she rolled up until her slender ankles were plain in sight. She looked adorably cute, he smiled to himself. She seemed to notice his gaze and she looked him in the eye, defiant. “You have something to say, Senju?”

He just snickered: “No nothing…”.

A girl entered silently, setting up breakfast at the small table, rice, smoked fish, eggs. They ate in silence. While they sipped green tea, he stretched his arms above his head. “Say, Sakura-san……”

“Yes?” 

“Do you want to spar?”

She sat there with her mouth open. “You can close your mouth you know.” At his amused tone, she looked pissed. 

“Fine! I am in dire need to kick somebody’s ass!”


	4. He stood facing her, arms crossed over his chest…

He faced her wilth feline grace and dignity, arms crossed over his chest, looking serious with a slight upward curve of one corner of his mouth. He was in full battle armour, his happuri glistening in the sunlight, the hem of his dark momohiki pants was wrapped in white bindings up to his ankles, black simple sandals underneath. 

His posture was relaxed while he waited for her first move. Was he amused by the idea of fighting a woman? She narrowed her eyes at him. He was a man of his time. He had no experience with kunoichi. During their walk towards the training grounds, she found herself intimidated by the idea of fighting the Nidaime Hokage. But if he was underestimating her, she could use that to her advantage. If she kept on acting like a feeble woman, afraid of pain and violence, she might have a chance. But how would a whiny girl fight? She hoped that she would be convincing. 

When he made no move to start first, she charged him with moderate speed, diverging at the last minute, trying to kick his head from the side. He countered her with one move of his hand without even flinching. It was the starting signal for an intense taijutsu session. He was incredibly fast, moving like lightning around her. And already she had trouble keeping up. 

Moving like this felt incredibly good though. This feeling! This was her life! With every punch and kick she gained something of her identity and purpose back. These past days of insecurity, endless questions and no answers, pain and sadness. With each kick she felt it drain away, and with each kick she became more like Haruno Sakura, a Konoha shinobi, member of Team Seven and the apprentice of Senju Tsunade, the Goidame Hokage. 

Her muscles were warming up, adrenaline kicked in, the movements started to feel effortlessly and smooth. He moved graceful, like water around her. She felt herself in awe of his speed and lethal grace. Whenever he came really close, she smelled him, a male musky smell and a hinge of sweat. His eyes were flashing red, following her body, acting and reacting. 

And then, when they tested the waters enough, they both got serious. 

She suddenly ducked underneath his arms giving his upper body a chakra infused shove upwards and then she let herself fall backwards while simultaneously managing to kick the side of his face with an upward movement of her leg, causing a dull thudding sound against his happuri. 

“Is that the reason you wear that old fashioned thing Senju-sama?” She laughed. He was pissed off, he obviously had not expected her to lay a hit on him, and she cheered inside. 

And Tobirama was pissed off. It was a long time ago that he felt any emotion in a fight, but this fight was coming close to that. He tried to stay emotionally devoid in a battle, it served him better than rage. Processing his surroundings and opponent objectively made him efficient and strategically superior. 

He didn’t expect much of this fight if he was honest, he never encountered a female kunoichi before and was convinced that women were not cut out for it. The women of his clan were quick to cry or scare. But Sakura did neither. To his surprise, she took all his punches without even flinching. Her movements were certain and she did not let her fear of pain slow her down. Her movements were graceful, she moved like water, her body strong and agile. After a while her movements became more and more determined, her face serious, and he noticed that she enjoyed it. The more heated the fight became, the more relaxed she was. Gone was the insecure traumatized girl, he was fighting an adult shinobi that would not back down, no matter who she was up against. And he found himself letting go of his reluctance and restraint. 

She was far better than he expected. She was an inventive fighter, reacting to actuality and finding ways to cope with it. He was impressed, and a small voice in the back of his head told him that she was merely warming up. When she managed to kick his face, he realised that he needed to get serious. He was underestimating her abilities as a kunoichi. She had told him that her teammates were the ones that remained last men standing in this great war, she was the apprentice of the Goidame Hokage, Hashirama’s granddaughter. He needed to get serious or she would beat him. 

Their kicks and punches became serious, there was a real force behind them, an eagerness to hit the opponent. And then he felt it. She was gathering chakra in her fist. She did a quick series of attacks, forcing him backwards. He evaded her easily, throwing a kunai that hitted target, but she exploded in a flurry of cherry blossoms. A Clone? Shimatta! How does she know my technique! 

Shocked, he jumped backwards, but she came from behind him, her fist charged with chakra. If it wasn’t for his Hiraishin, she would have had a clean hit. He transported himself to the other side of the training ground, to a spot that he marked earlier. He looked at her and witnessed the impact of her fist. And what he suspected, came true; the ground shook as if it were an earthquake, he had trouble to keep standing straight. Through the dust he saw an immense crater develop, where he was standing just seconds ago. The blood drained from his face. He would have been obliterated. What an insane strength! 

Quickly gathering his wits, he made hand seals to use a water jutsu on her when he saw her explode near the crater leaving only cherry blossoms. Then a cry from above: “Don’t underestimate me!” He cursed. Was that attack a decoy? Did she plot this out from the beginning? Does she know I marked this spot? She knows of my techniques and knows I will be shocked by the impact of her chakra enhanced strength. She anticipates my distraction by it. That little devil! She came down on him with her leg extended, kicking him in the chest burying him in the ground, causing another large crater. He was looking up at her amazed while a sharp pain invaded his chest, he tried not to flinch while she looked down on him, smirking. 

Her smile faded when a large wave of water erupted from the ground, engulfing her completely and carrying her over the training grounds, dumping her unceremoniously in the river that streamed past it. She spluttered, disorientated, trying to get her feet on something solid. A hand took her wrist and yanked her out of the water. 

It was Tobirama, standing on the water surface. She stood up on the water surface facing him. He was panting, sweating and covered in dirt. She was wet all over, blood and water trickling from several gashes. They stared at each other and then Sakura grinned: “You look like you were beat into the ground!” She chuckled at his raised eyebrow, and then she just couldn’t stop anymore. She clutched her belly and laughed until tears streamed down her face. Tobirama looked irritated at first, but after a while he started grinning as well.

When their laughter faded away, he looked serious again. “Sakura-san, I underestimated you. Please forgive me. I did not take you seriously because you are a woman.” 

“I understand. I overestimated you to be honest, you weren’t that hard to beat!” And after insulting him like this she spurted off, laughing, leaving the stern man standing at the waterside, his ego dented, being just almost defeated by a girl. 

After a few moments he caught up with her and they walked together towards the house to get cleaned up. The guards looked puzzled, they looked like they had been training together, but for Tobirama to look like that, it must have meant that he met an equal. The girl walking next to him however did not look the part. 

Hashirama shared this impression. He had been watching the training grounds from the shadows, just as curious as Tobirama to test her skills. He was very impressed. The village they would found, trained excellent shinobi it seemed. Sakura’s strength was something that he never saw before. She must have absolute chakra control to be able to lay a punch like that. And on top of that she produced Kage Bunshin like it was second nature. Tobirama’s new technique must have been taught in her time at this Ninja Academy she told them about. 

Tobirama had told him she was a medic ninja. The chakra control that was needed to perform healing was something he was familiar with, but he never dreamt of using this control in such a way in a battle. She was interesting…. and she had a special bond with his brother. That was even more impressive, to get more out of Tobirama than the occasional grunt was a miracle on its own. What happened in the three days they were together in enemy territory? 

\------------------ 

Back in his quarters she started to feel her injuries burn. Looking at her sparring partner, she realised that he must feel the same, being kicked to a pulp. 

“Sit down, I will heal your injuries.” 

“Hnn” He sat down.

She took off his armour and shirt with businesslike movements revealing a pale muscular chest and back. His skin was like velvet to the touch and when she started to heal his wounds, he soon relaxed under her hands, relishing the warm chakra flow. After repairing several cracked ribs, she continued by healing his muscle tissue. How he managed to walk all the way back to the compound without even flinching was beyond her. It must have been a real blow to his ego that she kicked his ass for him to stay this stoic all the way to his quarters. 

When he was healed, she started on herself and then took off to the bathhouse. The blood was already caked on her skin in hard crusts when she let herself sink into the warm water. It was only after all the dirt was gone and she got dressed that she noticed her empty stomach. Back in his quarters she noticed to her delight that lunch was served. 

“Sakura-san…” he was barely audible due to a mouthful of rice. He swallowed and asked: “The Kage Bunshin Technique. How did you learn it?”

“At the Ninja Academy”, she suddenly realized that the inventor of this technique was wolfing down his lunch across from her. “Ahhh, sumimasen! I forgot! How odd that must be….”

“Indeed, very odd.” He looked at her. “It makes me feel cautious of my actions right now, since the impact is severe through time. But I also know that being cautious is not necessarily the course to take. I must remain myself, even though I have this knowledge.” 

She nodded. 

“But Sakura-san, the thought of training our women is an interesting one. The Uchiha and Senju never trained women, it would make the power balance tip if we had double the amount of shinobi because we train our women.” 

“Yeah, it would, but it could have consequences.”

“Hnnnn, that is indeed the matter that we need to discuss with my brother. It is tricky business. Tell me, how did the Academy treat the different sexes?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, what is the approach to training the women and how are the different types of missions being dispatched?”

It dawned on her that she really was in a different era. Equality between the sexes was an alien concept to Tobirama and even though he started to respect her as a shinobi other viewpoints were harder to change. 

“There is no difference in approach. After reaching genin state, the boys and girls are divided among three man teams, always with mixed sexes. The missions are dispatched among the team on the basis of quality and experience of the team.”

He stopped eating. “Really?”

“Yes, really. We are equals in every sense of the word. Even the bringing up of small children is divided among the parents by taking separate missions in turn.”

“Really?” he frowned: “I have a lot to learn it seems. But it clarifies your not so ladylike behaviour I suppose…”

The anger hit her within the blink of an eye. “You…..” 

Then she saw the twinkling in his eyes and eventually a small smirk. 

“You! Baka!” And then she couldn’t help but smile. He smiled broadly now. Then he stood up and bowed before her. 

“Sakura-san, you are an excellent shinobi and a beautiful woman and you have earned my respect. Never doubt it.”

She blushed. Again! And she tried to wipe the smirk from her face unsuccessfully. 

He noticed her red cheeks and decided to not comment on it. “Let’s go to my brother and make a plan then shall we?”

\------------

They worked all afternoon and all through the evening. The sliding doors towards Hashirama’s private garden were open, crickets chirping away. In the distance she faintly noticed an owl hooting. The crisp evening air kept their minds alert and fresh. A servant brought a simple dinner and they ate while working out different scenarios to prevent the Fourth Shinobi War. 

After dinner they started drinking the best sake Sakura ever had and she noticed her mood lighten until she was giggly. Such a strange situation, she was working and drinking with two legendary Hokage’s and they were treating her as an equal it seemed. She smiled. They were so different from the image that was nursed at the Academy! They were constantly bickering and fighting. Hashirama laughing sheepishly when his brother told him plainly that he was silly, stupid or said something embarrassing. 

Tobirama seemed the more grown-up of the two. He was a realist, blessed with a healthy dose of suspicion, always seeing the downside of scenarios. Hashirama was a dreamer, believing in the positive side of people and the world. His scenario’s always had a happy ending, the possibility that he would not be able to see things through to the happy end he envisioned, simply did not exist in his mind. This was the quality that made him such an exceptional shinobi, he saw possibilities where no one, not even his brother, could see them. It seemed logical that Hashirama founded the city by making the impossible possible and Tobirama, being the realist, would make their combined dream work practically. It seemed that it was predestined almost, although she didn’t believe in the concept. 

She wondered why Tobirama, the younger one, grew up to be the adult of the two. What happened in their childhood? She decided she would ask him if they ever finished the dilemma’s they worked on now. 

In the course of the evening the discussions narrowed down on one key event, the death of Uchiha Izuna. This was the trigger that made Madara into the man she faced on the battlefield of the Fourth Shinobi War, the death of his beloved younger brother. And then there was the fact that Madara took Izuna’s eyes which gained him the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. 

They started working out several scenarios in which Izuna survived by fighting someone other than Tobirama on the battlefield. The outcome would bring suffering on the Senju side, which they wanted to prevent desperately, there was no Senju shinobi at that moment that was skilled enough to defeat Uchiha Izuna without killing him. Their conversations kept on looping and they could not find a good solution for it. Until Hashirama looked pensive at Sakura. Immediately Tobirama understood something that Sakura missed and he said firmly: “No brother. I am against it!”

“Silence Tobirama. This is not your decision!” he turned to Sakura. “Sakura-san, there is one shinobi that is powerful enough to defeat Uchiha Izuna and keep him alive.”

Sakura frowned: “There is?” Hashirama fell silent, just staring at her. It dawned on her slowly. 

“Ahhhh, Shodaime-sama, no, I am not that powerful!” 

“Yes, you are, Sakura-san. I monitored your fight with Tobirama and I am impressed by your skills. Also, you being a woman would be an excellent weapon in this case. You will have the benefit of surprise. He will underestimate you.”

Tobirama tried to speak, but Hashirama put his hand up and he fell silent, clearly annoyed and frustrated. Sakura thought about it in all earnesty. And she had to admit that Hashirama was right. She did have the advantage. Also she had some techniques up her sleeve that were unknown in this era. She would probably be able to punch him non-active, or heal him when she went too far.

“This has to be your choice, Sakura-san. You are not a member of the Senju clan. But you are loyal to Konoha, even though it does not exist yet. You own me as the future Hokage or the people in this time nothing. It is your right to refuse if you want to, I will not hold it against you.”

She did not need time to think. The realisation that she was the only suitable person for the job was immediate. She looked him straight in the eye and said: “Shodaime-sama, I have offered my services to the Senju-clan and Tobirama-san has accepted them. I will do anything in my power to prevent the Fourth Shinobi War, even if it will cost me my life. I will accept this mission.” 

Hashirama smiled: “Thank you Sakura-san. I will accept your service as a member of the Senju clan.”

Tobirama stood up abruptly, his face contorted in angre, fists balled with white knuckles, his muscles taut. “This meeting is over.” he spat and he exited the room quickly. Leaving an apologetic Hashirama and stunned Sakura behind. 

His gentle chocolate brown eyes found her. “Forgive my brother Sakura-san, his temper sometimes gets the better of him, but he means well. The way he behaves is given in by a great concern and love for his people. To let another bleed for a mission that he feels is his, is almost unacceptable for him.”

“Will he give in?”

He sighed: “I am not sure. He is very good in keeping his emotions away, hiding behind rationality. But Sakura-san, he is different when he is with you. He seems more open and relaxed. I do not know what your bond is, but there is no denying that he made a place for you in his heart. I have never seen him let anyone this close to him but myself.” She blushed. 

“Take care of my brother Sakura-san. If anyone can make him see the benefits of your decision it is you. I trust you with this mission, but I also want to trust you with my brother's heart. Please take care of it reverently.”

She felt her cheeks burning. Her own suspicions were voiced by Hashirama and her own feelings burned in her as if his words struck fire to them. Her attraction to Tobirama ignited in full force and she felt her heart beating in her chest. She bid Hashirama goodnight and promised to take care of his brother if he let her and then she found her way to their shared room. 

\---------------

There was no light in the room. The air was cold, the doors to the garden open. He was sitting on the engawa in a meditative position. He didn’t greet her. 

She softly closed the sliding doors behind her and walked towards him. She smelled the crisp air, while sitting next to him. He didn’t acknowledge her. He was staring in the darkness like a stubborn child. “Can you tell me why you are upset?”

He spat: “I am not upset!” 

She rolled her eyes. Unbelievable!! He was having a tantrum. She sighed: “Fine. Angry then.”

“I am not angry.”

“Yes you are!”

“Not!”

“You baka! You are sitting here after you ran away being angry and now you refuse to talk to me? You owe me an explanation Senju-sama”, she felt her blood boiling: “I do not need shit from you after making this decision. I don’t care if you don’t like it, it is my choice. I have seen this war, and I know you have seen more war, but this war is not between two clans. This war was started to annihilate humanity, the end of the world. I-will-do ANYTHING to prevent it. And I know I can do this. There is nobody else. And you know it too.” 

She was cursing at him, complaining about his childish tantrum and turned to walk away. But he suddenly gripped her wrist, keeping her sitting next to him. He turned his head towards her while holding it, eyes gleaming in the moonlight. “You are right, I am angry. But not for reasons that you think.”

“No? Well I don’t care what the reasons are, since you refuse to let me in on them, you baka!” she fumed, eyes burning. 

“Dammit! I am angry because I know you can do it! I am angry because I apparently am not capable of solving my problems on my own. Now you have to risk your safety because of my screwup! I feel like seeing my little brothers going into battle all over again! Sakura…… It doesn’t feel right to let you do this alone, without me to at least protect your back. I know that you are powerful and experienced, but…”

“But?”

“But … I feel protective of you…” He fell silent, obviously embarrassed. 

She stared at him, mouth open, blinking. He turned his head away from her, trying to hide himself from her reaction. She did the only thing she could think of and that would make sense, she took his shoulder, turned him facing her and gave him a hug. 

“Thank you for caring.” Then she released him. “But why would you think that I would go into battle without you to protect my back? We can fight together, as long as we keep Uchiha Izuna alive ne?” She smirked, her face inches away from his: “You don’t wanna miss all the fun right?” He looked surprised and then his face went blank again, his anger not yet subsided. “I guess you are right.”

When they lay down on his fuuton, and she lay her head on his shoulder, his scent and body warmth lulled her into sleep quickly. She faintly noticed his fingers, pushing strands of hair out of her face, but before she could wonder about it, she was taken by the big black darkness. 

Halfway the night, the war caught up with her again. She was seeing Neji fall again, she felt herself pulling at her hair, wailing, beating the very earth his blood sucked up. Then she woke up in Tobirama’s arms, panting, soaking wet from cold sweat. He murmured soothing words in her ear, stroking her back, holding her, never letting her go. He knew her pain, he knew it intimately. She needed to remember again and again until she could look at the memories without flinching without pain. And while her body was ridden with pain, guilt and sorrow, he held her.


	5. A month. They had a month to prepare themselves…

A month. They had a month to prepare themselves before the crucial battle would commence. In the meantime, Sakura came to consider the Senju compound more and more as home and she developed a comfortable routine with Tobirama and Hashirama. Her life in Konoha had been one of routine; of training, missions and working in the hospital. The only spare time she allowed herself consisted of having dinner with her teammates or visiting Kakashi at the memorial stone. The amount of time she spent in her apartment for other reasons than showering or sleeping was non-existing. 

The life of the Senju brothers ran along the same lines. Work and training dictated their days. Their meals were sober but in the evening, they would drink tea and sip from small sake bowls while talking clan business. Even though she did not have her own quarters and missed the busy street life of Konoha, this simple routine made her feel like home. And to her delight, they naturally involved her in all the daily business of the clan, treating her more and more like an equal. 

She did not partake in any missions, since her battle with Izuna would need the benefit of surprise. If she ran into trouble while on mission, news of a new powerful kunoichi with pink hair, would spread easily throughout the clans. She was too exotic looking and her techniques were not subtle enough to go unnoticed. 

xxxxxxxxxx

Her average day started with a simple breakfast in Tobirama’s quarters on the engawa. Afterwards she sparred with him or Hashirama depending on who was available. While she thought sparring with Kakashi and Team 7 or Tsunade for that matter was challenging, fighting these Hokage brothers was a completely different level.

The fact that Tobirama underestimated her the first time was painfully clear in her second fight with him. He did not fall for the same traps, kicked her merciless to a bloody pulp and outsmarted her in every way possible. Her ego was seriously bruised, even though she noticed afterwards that his own injuries were more severe than he let on. Stoic bastard! 

After this punishment, she took revenge and victory did not come easy for him or his brother from then on. It was clear that they enjoyed sparring with her, she was a quick learner and her knowledge and skills were surprising and sometimes intimidating. The learning process worked both ways.

Sakura felt honored that these Gods of shinobi would take their time to fight her. They were truly amazing. Tobirama’s agile and graceful movements never seemed to amaze her. His body flowed like water. Power and beauty combined, she thought he was a sight to behold. His use of the hiraishin almost made it seem like he could do magic. His strategies were calculated through into the absurd. She was certain that he would bring Shikamaru to desperation in a game of shogi. 

Hashirama was a friendly teacher, he took his time to explain techniques or things that she could improve. He was quick to laugh and treated her like a younger sister. Tobirama was the opposite. He was a harsh teacher, had no patience and the way he taught her things was always through experience and actions. He pushed her towards and over her limits constantly, never satisfied, never faltering, never going easy for a second on her. When he was teaching her, he would stand, arms crossed over his chest on the side of the training field, grumbling his orders to her, impassively assessing her progress. She cursed at him regularly, but he wasn’t fazed by her remarks, he just upped the training to annoy her. But to irritate him she never complained and suffered in silence. 

There was no brotherly companionship between them. In the past weeks he treated her more and more like an equal shinobi and less and less like a fragile female. But there was no friendship nor sibling natured affection. He was all male, his voice, his musky scent, his muscular body, a powerful and dangerous beauty and she was falling for him fast. The tension between them was a natural tension between man and woman and it was ever present. She was definitely not on a brother-sister basis with him.

When she was not sparring, she managed to gain the position of leading healer in the compound. The Senju developed a natural respect for her and slowly grew fond of her. She was a polite and friendly healer, with an eye for her patients. At first she was modest, following orders of other healers, but when the first emergency arose, she naturally changed into her professional self; barking commands, delegating tasks and saving lives. They gladly accepted her as their senior in knowledge and experience, however unlikely it seemed at her age. Hashirama had made the decision to keep her advanced healing techniques hidden. But Sakura instisted, that within a case of emergency the priority was to save lives. Reluctantly Hashirama relented. 

Tobirama liked watching her in action, leaning with his arms crossed against the door frame of one of the healing chambers. He was amazed at how natural leadership came to her, how she could mobilize the entire team into an efficient working machine. He admired her for this. She was an amazing woman. 

After healing duties she would do some light exercises on the engawa until her muscles were warm and she was sweating again. She claimed that this routine would lessen her muscle ache the next morning, after which she would tend to her weapons; cleaning, oiling and sharpening them. 

Often Tobirama joined her in these afternoon routines. He followed her exercises with curiosity. They were a type that he was not familiar with, but it stretched his body and cleared out his chakra channels nicely. “ What did you call this again?” “Yoga, it is a foreign meditation technique”. 

They would chat, sitting on the engawa while cleaning their weapons. About her own time-line, or clan business. They were comfortable. 

In the evening she would have dinner with Tobirama and Hashirama. The food was always simple; rice, fish, vegetables and some seasoning like soy or miso. They would discuss clan matters and their private daily issues. The constant bickering between the brothers became normal and she enjoyed their verbal sparring. Their words performed an intricate dance and as she got to know them better, she started noticing the deep feelings that were hidden behind their petty fights. 

And like in their interactions their characters were hidden for the casual onlooker. Hashirama could be discarded as quick to laugh, silly and melodramatic. But she started to notice that he was not unfazed by the death that surrounded them. Like his brother, he hid his feelings behind an ever present facade of cheerful happiness, while Tobirama chose to hide what he felt in plain sight by not expressing any emotion at all. 

After dinner they would help Hashirama with his Clan duties, processing paperwork, preparing agenda’s, and making decisions. And when the night was halfway done, there was time left to drink some sake on the engawa and look at the stars. 

She relived her war memories daily still. And when Tobirama was away on mission, it was Hashirama who held her and comforted her. The intensity seemed to fade little by little, but she kept sleeping next to Tobirama. She could not imagine sleeping alone at all. 

Her bond with Tobirama grew steadily. They would spar, talk and tease each other. But the flirtatious remarks from the beginning of their friendship, did not occur again. From her part, she was afraid that it would cause a tidal wave of emotions, that she tried to keep at bay while living so closely with him. In her desperation, she sometimes tried to see him as a father figure, but this became more and more troublesome while their bond intensified during their weeks of interaction. 

Keeping her distance was especially difficult during their sparring sessions, when their bodies touched and she could smell his musky scent mixed with sweat and dirt. A small voice in her head told her that the inevitable would happen. She was racing towards it with every night she lay her head on his shoulder, every sparring session, every touch, every look, every kind word, every time she saw his chest, or felt his body underneath her healing hands. She was falling for him. 

One exceptionally hot afternoon she ended up trying to kick his abdomen with her foot. But as always he was slightly faster. Taking her foot he flipped her over, forcing her to turn in the air. Cursing, she escaped with a backward flip. She stared at him with narrowed eyes, when she thudded on the ground, kicking up dust. He was drenched in sweat, smirking. 

“You have to be faster than that Sakura-chan!” He cleared the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and then without warning, took off his shirt, showing off a glistening sixpack, covered in scars. 

She swallowed. Audibly. Blushing she yelled: “Are you trying to distract me with that?” 

He smirked, noticing her uneasiness: “Like what you see?”

She grumbled, charging him with three kage bunshin trying to punch him into the dust, but he evaded her gracefully, kicking her against a tree. While he stood watching her slide down, he seemed unaware that he was watching a clone and the real Sakura was standing behind him with a kunai. Or so she thought. 

When she tried to strike, he ducked fast as lightning, kicking her feet from underneath her, making her crash into the ground. Then he straddled her, holding a kunai against her throat, panting. Within the sudden pauze, she was suddenly very aware of the close proximity of his body to hers. She felt the heat of his lower body on her pelvis and hips and she blushed deeply when she felt a familiar flurry of butterflies in her stomach. Kami! He was the Nidaime! It was impossible! He lowered his head towards her face, his features devoid of emotion. She held her breath, heart thudding against her ribs. 

The moment passed suddenly and he stood, reaching his hand to hers. She took it and he pulled her up to her feet. He walked towards the river and she followed him, eager to cool off her face. Standing on the side, she squatted to reach the water with her hands.

A push against her back and the cold water enveloped her, not an unwelcome feeling. She came up for air spluttering: “Baka!, you baka!!!” He smirked, taking off his leg bindings and sandals. 

Then he stared at her, in thought. His gaze was intense and serious. Then he suddenly took off his pants and stood a few seconds totally relaxed and unfazed on the riverbank and then dived into the water. She froze on the spot. He stripped before her eyes! And he was gorgeous! Had she been blushing before with butterflies, she felt like she was on fire now.

She saw him swim easily. As a water user he had control over the current and it seemed to follow him wherever he swam. She felt envious and wanted to swim as well, but her wet clothes were a hindrance. Pay-back time. 

Hoisting herself out of the water onto the grass, her back towards him, she started to peel off her wet clothes. She could almost feel his gaze burning a hole in her back. She smirked, two can play this game… Taking a deep breath, she turned around. It was just like she suspected, he was staring at her, eyes burning. There was something in his expression, he looked almost hungry, but he tried to hide it with indifference. But his mask was crumbling. 

She smirked victorious: “Like what you see, Senju?” When she dived in, the water was cold and refreshing and she felt reborn while letting herself float in the depths. Coming up for air, she pushed her pink strands out of her eyes in search of him. But he had not moved an inch and was still staring at her. Then she felt cold water rise up around her legs. She fidgeted, trying to escape the current. But the cold water was inescapable, caressing her legs, slowly circling upward towards her thighs and more intimate parts, then her belly and breasts. Realisation dawned upon her and she stared at him, feeling her core heating up. 

He smirked…. “This fight is not over yet, kunoichi…” She felt the current pushing her towards him and she let herself float towards him, her heart hammering in her ribcage, butterflies in her stomach. What was he up to now? Then one small lack of attention and she was unable to locate Tobirama anymore. Where did he go? 

Suddenly she was pulled with force under water by her ankle. One strong arm encircled her waist, the other guided her head and then his lips crashed onto hers. She eagerly kissed him back, fire erupting in her body. They came up for air panting. He looked at her again through rivulets of water cascading from his grey hair, his eyelashes wet, a strand of hair in his eyes. Then he kissed her once more, softly this time, holding her body reverently but grinding himself against her deliberately. 

She moaned when she felt his hard member against her skin. His gaze darkening, passion took them over. They were oblivious to the world, there was just his hands on her skin, his lips on hers, his rock hard body against her. 

His deep voice made her shiver: “Sakura…. “ 

She could only moan in reply. His kisses ignited her body. Even though they were soaking in the water, she could feel the callus of his hands, leaving a burning trail on her skin. 

They pulled away, trying to catch their breath. He smiled a genuine smile, caressing her cheek, cupping her chin. “I wanted to do that the first time I met you….” he confessed. She smiled back at him: “What took you so long?”

He looked surprised at her, then looked away: “Well, this is not proper behavior, you must forgive me. I just found not one resistant bone in my body today. But this is no proper courting, I do you injustice.”

She looked at him seriously: “Tobirama, in my time courting is valued, but the physical part of a relationship is more unattached than you are accustomed to. It is common for couples to ‘date’, try out the relationship to test the match of personalities. Often the relationship will be physical as well. After ‘dating’ the relationship can be terminated or prolonged into marriage. So, I do not think you do me injustice or don’t treat me honorable. I think that the only thing that matters is that we both feel comfortable with the situation.”

He blinked. “Really? Your time is very odd indeed. Have you done a lot of ‘dating’?” 

“Hmm, yes. The relationship became only physical with one person though.” 

He looked puzzled: “So you decided not to take the relationship further?” 

“No… “ she felt strange confessing this to him. “He turned out to be an asshole to be honest.” 

“What was his name?”

She hesitated, but decided to be honest with him. Blunt honesty worked best with him. “Uchiha Sasuke”. 

He frowned. “Did he hurt you? This Uchiha?” He spat the name. She cringed at the venom in his voice, but then looked sad: “Yes, but only my heart….”

He cupped her cheek again: “I won’t hurt you Sakura and I will not apologize for my actions if you are comfortable about this situation…I do not regret it. Still, I think I will start to feel uncomfortable staying here naked in the water with you, so close near a public training ground. Let’s head back shall we?”

She nodded. They exited the water and dressed, their clothes clinging to their wet skin, drenching them. They walked back to the compound. She silently slipped her hand into his. He gave her a small smile. Near the entrance gate, they released hands and walked through it separately. Twilight already set in. They went to his quarters where cold dishes were waiting for them. 

After washing and a change of clothes they sat down to eat. She chewed her food thoughtfully, watching the night fall in the garden. Something had changed in the atmosphere between them, the silence wasn’t comfortable. They caught each other staring constantly and she had a silly smile on her face that she almost couldn’t hide. 

After dinner, their silence gave way to nervous chitchat. She kept talking about nothing and everything. He grunted and hmmmd often as was his custom. 

Suddenly he felt her putting her head in his lap, her face looking up towards the starry night, her body relaxed. He looked surprised, but then smiled and caressed her hair slowly, letting her pink strands slip through his fingers. It was a new kind of intimacy and they took their time getting used to it, relaxing into the posture and the marvel of touching each other outside of their sleeping arrangement. They stayed like that until it was time to slip onto the fuuton to get some sleep. 

Suddenly her throat was dry. They crossed an invisible border this afternoon and now she could feel that it was awkward lying next to him as if nothing had happened. She wanted him. Her desire for him burned her insides to ash and she could see that he felt the same, his glowing eyes following her every move. He was a man of his time though. To make love before marriage was probably an impossibility. Their intimate sleeping arrangements would become agony if he was adamant in those customs. 

Besides this predicament, she only knew that she wanted him, desire burning a hole through her body. She wanted to hold that rock hard muscled body against her own, feeling his warmth, kiss him, caressing his unruly hair and let herself drown in his red eyes. 

Instead of acting on those desires, they lay in bed at some distance from each other, just staring. They both relished the fact that they did not need to hide it anymore and this freedom was almost enough at that moment. But she kept thinking of their kiss. What was he thinking? Did he want to cross that last boundary just as bad as her? 

Then she made a decision. She slowly sat on her knees next to him, and took off her shirt. She felt the cold air enveloping her upper body, giving her goosebumps. She was shaking due to the tension and desire that gripped her. 

He looked up at her, impassive. She stared back at him, slowly taking off the bindings around her breasts. She let them slowly slip off her skin, strand by strand, until her perk nippels peaked out of them and then her breasts were released. He was watching her all the time intently, emotion started to fill his eyes, a small smile on his lips, hands behind his head. 

“Like what you see?” A trace of insecurity escaped with her words, but he smiled and reached up to slowly trail his hand from her face downward to her breasts. 

“Yes…” he murmured. Then his hand cupped her breast, her nipple in between his fingers, rolling softly. She moaned. 

This woman! He felt his body getting hard, painfully hard. She was so beautiful. He wanted her, wanted to make her his. He wanted no other man ever to touch her. He faintly realised that it was highly improper to lay with her like this, and disrespectful to her, but he did not have any restraint left. She had brought him to his knees and he would see this through. 

He pulled her down towards him, kissing her, slowly kneading her breast in the process, making her moan. She heard his breath hitching. 

“Sakura….. I want you…” He sounded at a loss. 

She moaned in his ear and whispered: “I am yours…”

A bell started clanging loudly. 

They both shot up. Tobirama cursed. The alarm! They knew what this meant. WIthout a single word they slipped into their shinobi routine. Silently dressing and choosing weapons with care. 

Within a few minutes Tobirama was fully dressed in his blue armour, staring down at her. He looked majestic and dangerous. His happuri glistened in the moonlight, his eyes dark slits. His grey hair complemented by the white fur around his shoulders. 

He took her in. She was dressed in shinobi black, wearing a Senju hitai-ate. She had wanted no armour plates, afraid that it would slow her down. A katana stood out on her back, her pouch rested on her lower back, emphasizing her lean waist. Her hardened eyes made he look serious and dangerous. She stared back up at him, jaw set. 

They held each other’s gaze for a few heartbeats. Then he walked towards her slowly until he was standing close looking down at her. “You are mine, kunoichi. I want to finish what we started.” 

Then he grabbed her waist, pulled her into him and kissed her with force and then left her breathless.

She gasped her words. “As do I. Let’s kick Uchiha Izuna’s ass!” 

“ Hnnn.” Bending towards her for the last time, he grunted in her ear. “You. Take care and be safe.”

She looked him in the eyes, her features grim. “ Hai! I will.”


	6. It felt like the Fourth Shinobi War again…

It felt like the Fourth Shinobi War again, she heard weapons clattering, shouts, there were bodies everywhere. The battle started in the night, and they fought well into the morning. 

Serving under Hashirama felt assuring. He was an experienced warrior and he gained respect naturally. His men followed him into death without question or hesitation. His strategies were sound and he never asked from his men what he would not do himself. 

In the battle she was one of the stronger shinobi and as such she tried together with Hashirama and Tobirama to reduce the casualties to a minimum. She healed the men whenever she could and tried to save their lives in battle as well. 

But she couldn’t save everybody. She had, during her brief time as part of the Senju clan, become acquainted with some of the men that died. There had not been enough time to form strong friendships, but every life was important to her and every death a grievance. 

And then Uchiha Izuna happened upon her while she was healing a young warrior, a child almost. She heard the kunai whistling through the air and deflected it with her own, never stopping the green chakra flow towards her patient. But the glimpse she caught of his face made her falter. Inkblack hair and matching eyes, noble and stoic features. The resemblance with Sasuke was uncanny, and for a moment she was suspended in between the past and future. She knew who he was instantly. And then she realised with a start that he was not trying to target her, but the boy she was healing and an intense fury took hold of her.

“State your name so that I may know my enemy” she said coolly, her rage contained, while she stared into his inkblack eyes. 

He blinked at her determined words, his fine eyebrows frowned: “Enemy? Are you a kunoichi?” 

She answered by throwing a kunai at him with an easy flick of her wrist. He easily dodged it, but looked puzzled. 

The he answered: “Uchiha, Izuna”. 

She charged him, her fury giving her wings and remembered in time that she did not need him to know yet how accomplished she was. She had tried to stay low in the battle up till now and used no chakra enhanced punches or kicks that would catch the eyes of the Uchiha. She needed subtlety to surprise him in order to render him unconscious. 

He was so breathtakingly handsome, like all Uchiha’s but with the same stoic and expressionless face. She felt emotions stir once again, when her thoughts drifted towards the person that bore the same expressionless features. Uchiha Sasuke resembled Izuna like two drops of water. They could be brothers. She felt a pang in her heart, of emotions long buried, snapping. But she couldn’t afford to be emotional. This was not Sasuke, this was her enemy! 

He hadn’t activated his sharingan yet, so he did not take her seriously yet. She smirked inwardly. What an idiot! This was one of the first lessons she was taught in school, never underestimate your opponent! 

She flew at him with a string of taijutsu moves, but tried to pretend that she was surprised by his speed. She cursed at him, to lead him on in his idea that she was a weak female. It was a precarious balance that she needed to keep up. He was an Uchiha after all and his powers were formidable. If they would fight full out she doubted if she could win from a sharingan user. However she had years of training with Sasuke. She knew the weak points in the sharingan and she knew how to avoid being trapped in his eyes. Also she was very good at dispelling genjutsu. 

Unfortunately he was very good at Gōkakyū no Jutsu. His last attack she barely managed to outrun. She heard him laugh and yell at her: “Just give up you Senju bitch!” She felt anger rising. The nerve! If he only knew what she was doing! 

After a few series of attacks to test his capabilities she got serious. She had stalled the fight long enough. Now she just had to get him unconscious and then tie him with chakra ropes. Easy right? 

She tried out a few attacks but he blocked every single one of them. Then he managed to kick her into a tree. The tree cracked and fell by the impact. While he was admiring his own handywork, she exploded in a flurry of cherry blossom leaving him bewildered. 

The same technique as that Senju? Impossible! Who is this girl? He had never seen her before and she didn’t seem like a Senju at all with her pink hair. The realisation hit him then. She was a stranger, he had no intel on her. He suddenly felt wary. 

Then the air above him moved. He looked up. She came down with her leg held out, kicking him in his chest and he felt himself being beaten into the earth with immense force. A large crater formed. 

What an impossible strength! She is not what she seemed, I underestimated her.

He flicked on his sharingan. He had to get serious now or he would lose this fight! While crawling out of the crater, the tomoes in his eyes were spinning and he saw her tensing up. She evaded his eyes expertly. They taught her well. 

They fought seriously now. He stayed clear from her hits and punches, for the damage they did to the landscape around them when she missed made him apprehensive. What an impossible strength and chakra control! 

Sakura in turn was wary as well. Izuna’s movements and strategies were fast, impeccable and dangerous due to his Sharingan. Again and again he predicted where she would move in the fight. It was unnerving and wearing her out. His fire jutsu became more intense, scorching her arms at one point. She kept on trying to evade him, stretching the battle to wear him out, waiting for the opportune moment that she needed. But it was hard. 

Fatigue took hold of her slowly but surely. Izuna must have read the signs, for he surprised her with a series of taijutsu attacks that were relentless, with powerful chakra enhancement. He managed to kick her through a tree trunk, pain exploding in her back that she healed quickly. She saw a flash of Mangekyō Sharingan and ice creeped up in her heart. It came to that already... 

She flew backwards still, her back hitting another tree trunk, and blood spurted out of her mouth. Pain erupted again in her just healed back and she felt dizzy for a moment. Then, a warm arm around her low back, followed by a tugging sensation. Within a few seconds, she stood panting, behind Izuna on the battlefield. 

Uchiha Izuna wheeled around, his eyes wide. “ You!” 

Of course it was Tobirama that had caught her, using hiraishin to transport them to another position on the battlefield. Relief washed over her. She stood shakingly, pushing away from Tobirama’s chest. She felt his hand linger on her lower back for a moment. His voice resounded over her head. 

“Yes, me!” Then, he whispered in her ear: “ Sakura-chan, he is successfully worn out, do you have a plan?” 

She contemplated his question. A plan? Yes, she had a plan, but things got more complicated now that she had coaxed him unwillingly towards the Mangekyō Sharingan already, a technique she had been uncertain of, if he mastered it. This was too dangerous. The only other solution came to mind in the wake of loving memories of honey colored eyes and blond hair. Yes. She would use that technique. It would end things quickly. But Tobirama could cause trouble here, there was no time to inform him. But she saw no other solution. She stared at him seriously. “Hai, I will distract him so you can kick him unconscious and bind him with chakra.” 

He nodded. Face grim. 

“But Tobirama….” she chewed her lip: “It will be severely disturbing for you to see. There is no time to explain, but you have to trust me.” She grasped his arm with force, emphasizing her words. “I will be ok.” 

He frowned, but nodded. 

But it wasn’t enough. She turned his face toward her with her hand, looking him straight in the eye: “Tobi, promise to trust me: I will be ok.” 

He widened his eyes at her seriousness. He surveyed her, face schooled. “Do you trust me?” she insisted. 

“I trust you.” 

Then she smiled at him and made the hand signs to perform Tsunade’s Ninpō Sōzō Saisei Byakugō no Jutsu. The movements came to her as if ingrained in her very being, it made her feel warm and complete. 

Tobirama noticed with interest, alien markings crossing her face, stretching further along her body. They originated from the diamond shaped seal on her forehead. He felt the pulsating chakra that was contained behind the seal spread like wildfire across her body, powering her up. His sensory senses picked up the increase of power in detail. The amount of chakra is incredible! What is this jutsu? 

But before he could ask her, she sprinted towards the Uchiha at high speed. He startled, he knew her regular speed, and this was the next level! Amazing! Then the second thought hit him, making him feel cold inside. She is running straight at him! What is she thinking! He cursed loudly, calling her, but his throat seemed full of sawdust, the words came out soft and rough. He knew he should not distract her, for she might die. But his body and brain seemed to short circuit. 

Her voice entered his brain like a soothing force and he tried to shut out any emotion that had surfaced watching her run towards certain death. I made a promise and I trust her. Do I trust her? 

Years of mental training made him force fear and doubt down and away. He could not be distracted by emotion. It could endanger her if he did. He forced his mind into the now, into the variable of reality and their many outcomes. The outcome of battle was just a calculation of options, pain a matter of perspective and choice. Yes... 

He readied himself for attack. When she was close to his enemy he would use the mark he gave her. With Hiraishin he could win him over and bind him, maybe kick his ass. Then save the future. 

Emotions kept swirling upward though. His heart was hammering in his chest. What is she doing! 

And then, as if in a dream, he saw time slow down and the thing he feared happened. She ran flatout towards him, crashing herself full out, into his sword. He saw the blade protruding out of her back and heard the sickening ripping sound of metal through flesh. Red blood seeped out of the wound slowly, lazy almost. 

His heart stopped, his breathing stopped. Emotions that he didn’t know he had, surfaced with force and aggression. It took him all his self control, his carefully built up self control to suppress and ignore the grief and despair and to not transport himself to her to hold her. 

It took him everything to not kick the Uchiha’s head from his body or nail him to the ground with his sword. 

It took him everything he had to punch him unconscious and tie him business-like with chakra, securing him. 

It took him everything to stay objective, rational, emotionless. 

To stay Senju Tobirama. 

And after he completed the objective they had fought for, he mechanically turned around to look at her and his heart stopped for the second time. The grief washing over him, was the same hollow and empty feeling that swallowed him, in the dark days of his little brother’s death on the battlefields of his father. He felt all energy leave him suddenly, making him sink to his knees. 

Her blood penetrated his pants, still warm. He felt it soak further, slowly crawling upwards on his skin. With shaking hands, he lifted her upper body from the ground and held her into his chest and felt a sob clawing his way out of his chest. He felt empty, a deep nothingness and behind it, a boiling pit of rage that he dared not touch. 

Then he heard her murmuring “Tobi….” His sob erupted from him, surprising himself. Then he gasped in surprise, almost to tears. 

“Tobi, I am ok. Just trust me… “ When he dared looking at her face, she smiled faintly and a green glow surrounded her wounds. Steam was rising from them. She sat up pushing at his reluctant hands, that were trembling with concern still. But she persisted and then pulled the blade with a grunt out of her body, while the wounds healed. Leaving not even a scar nor scratch. 

He was rooted on the spot: “ You…..” 

She smiled at him. “Yes, me. I told you to trust me.” She saw emotions follow each other quickly on his face. She feared for a moment he would break down, but he smiled after a while. “You scared me.” he said simply. 

Her face softened: “ I know. I didn’t think I would need this technique. If I had thought it possible I would have informed you in advance. I am sorry.” 

“Only the result counts, Sakura. I guess you hinted on this technique when you explained why you felt guilty that you didn’t save Hyuuga Neji.” 

She fell quiet, rubbing her arms for a moment. “Yeah…..” He held her softly and then he pulled her up, inspecting her wounds. 

Izuna had regained consciousness very quickly and was staring shocked, at the scene unfolding before him. This girl! She planned this from the start! Her bravery shocked him. She nailed herself willingly to his sword, almost died and then pulled his katana out of her body as if she removed a splinter! Her courage surprised him and angered him. This kunoichi! She beat me with sheer bravery and with medical skills no less! 

When Madara noticed his brother bound, the fight between him and Hashirama took off to another level. Sakura watched in awe when history ran its course before her eyes. She knew the outcome, but what if she altered the future already? What if Hashirama tried to kill himself and Madara did not stop him? She felt an intense relief when the ending seemed to go just like the history scrolls. The future was looking bright. Konoha would be built and Madara was a less pained and troubled soul.


	7. She worked tirelessly during the night…

She worked tirelessly during the night in a makeshift hospital tent on the battlefield. It was merely a loose piece of fabric, stretched in between trees with ropes, without any sides. The wind caused an unwelcome draft that hindered a good healing process. But it was necessary that both clans could see how their leaders were treated. 

Hashirama and Madara were lying on makeshift beds, unconscious, their chakra reserves depleted and on top of that severely wounded. Sakura was healing the most critical injuries first. She was low on chakra, and she was forcing herself to be as efficient as possible with her chakra. The only one that could assist her with healing injuries like these, was lying unconscious before her. The situation was grave. She was not only fighting for their lives, but for the future of all present. 

Madara was her first priority. The proud clan-head was severely injured, lying vulnerable before her, subject to her healing hands. The delicate trust that she received from his terrified clan member could not be breached. It was imperative to make it clear that the Senju were serious about this peace. 

But it was not easy. This was Uchiha Madara. She could see that he was young still. But the thoughts of Neji’s death, Sasuke’s impaling with his own katana, the destruction of Obito’s mind, made her recoil instinctively, her chakra aggressive. So much grief, pain and suffering he caused. She gritted her teeth, she was a shinobi first and foremost. The future was hers to save. So she healed him, repressing her memories of that other version of him. So very different from the one lying helpless underneath her hands. 

Still, it felt useful that she shared the same traumatic experiences as the Senju clan with the Uchiha. Feeling some of their trauma, it was easier for her to understand the importance but also the intense difficulty and most likely feelings of impossibility of this peace and how precarious the coming time would be for everyone. Everybody lost loved ones in the battles, everybody hurt. It was imperative that acting on those emotions was a thing of the past. So she tried as hard as the Senju around her to put her emotions aside and healed one of her bitterest enemies until colour hit his cheeks and his breathing became strong and even.

She felt exhausted but elated. But there was no time to rest. She started working on Hashirama, with the little chakra that was left in her. His injuries were far less, but the chakra depletion was severe. She could not remedy that with her healing techniques. But she could heal his injuries so that his body could more efficiently refuel the chakra reserves. She worked until the sun started to rise and the birds started singing. Only then, some colour was visible on his cheeks as well. She sighed deeply and looked at the both of them. They looked peaceful, sleeping next to each other. The shadow of the boys that befriended each other a lifetime ago, still visible. 

She stood with shaking legs and walked unsteadily towards the four guards that stood close, watching her, two Uchiha and two Senju. “Senju-san, Uchiha-san, please watch them for me. Call for me immediately, when one of them wakes, make sure they drink water first thing.” 

The battlefield was a dramatic sight. Tobirama and Izuna apparently made their peace during the night and were leading a team that was collecting the bodies. Uchiha and Senju shinobi were lying next to each other in death. The living were standing and watching with empty eyes, exhaustion plain. 

She sighed, she needed to heal the wounded. There were other healers at work, from both clans, but she was more advanced in healing techniques. She searched for wounded that were not yet attended to, feeling dizzy. She was suffering from chakra depletion as well. She heard a voice behind her “Haruno-san?” She looked around and saw Uchiha Izuna. He too looked exhausted. 

She noticed now, how young he looked. He could easily pass as Tobirama’s junior, were it not for his eyes. His eyes held a world of hars life experiences; grief, pain, trauma. It reminded her once again of Sasuke. 

“Haruno-san… please forgive me. I was out of line targeting your patient.” He was fidgeting with his hands. 

She assessed him and wondered how much it took for him to utter that apology. “Yes you were. And you shouldn’t apologize to me, but to my patient. He survived your brute attack.” 

He nodded carefully, eyes haunted and then bowed to her. “I will do so. But I wish to pay my respects to my former enemy as well. You fought tactically smart and defeated me with your bravery and medical ninjutsu. Please accept my respect for you.”

She sighed. “Thank you Uchiha-san. You are a worthy and impressive opponent. I am sorry I did not fight you honestly and straightforwardly.”

He nodded at her reply, his face serious. He was so serious! She felt like walking on eggs. She noticed that despite his life experiences, he was indeed very young. He reminded her of Sasuke and Naruto. And suddenly she felt her resentment slide off of her. He could have been her teammate! 

She grinned: “I know a solution Uchiha-san, let’s have a rematch!” 

He looked confused. “Rematch?”

“Yes! Let’s spar with each other in the future. We can teach each other our special tricks… “ 

He looked confused, but then he started to grin, his black eyes glinting. “What an odd notion. This peace feels strange. But I accept your invitation Haruno-san. It will be my pleasure.” And with that he bowed and walked away chuckling. 

While smiling she noticed Tobirama watching her from far away, arms crossed over his chest. Then he appeared next to her, hand on her shoulder where his mark still was visible. Her hair moved by the replacement of air that it caused. 

“And you were grinning together because…..” His voice rumbled, causing goosebumps on her skin. 

“I am grinning, Senju, because I invited him to have a rematch where I can fight him honestly. In a sparring session. And he accepted!”

He fell silent and then grunted: ”I can tell you grew up in a peaceful era. I am so not ready for this … truce…. How are Madara and my brother?” 

“They are fine. A bit dented, but after a good 48 hours sleep they will feel better. I made sure to heal Madara first as we agreed.” 

He nodded and looked around. She noticed the blackness underneath his eyes. Just like her he didn’t sleep all night and he looked exhausted. He sported several large gashes on his legs and arms. 

“Tobi….let me heal you….”

He did not look at her. “No. First the men. First the Uchiha. We must keep the peace. Hashirama would kill me if the Uchiha would feel slighted by healing our own first.” 

She nodded. He was right of course. 

Halfway the afternoon the battlefield was cleared of the dead. Each clan had transported the bodies back to their compounds. The transport of the injured proved to be more tricky and slow. 

Sakura found Hashirama and Madara awoke in the morning, talking softly to each other in the tent. She tried to attend to them business-like. But Hashirama, of course Hashirama had greeted her cheerfully, making her laugh. And they fell into an easy banter, while she scolded him for getting so badly injured. 

All the while, Madara was silent and she felt his eyes following her, burning holes in her back. 

When she was ready to leave, he suddenly spoke, voice raspy: “Haruno-san…. I thank you for healing me and for capturing my brother instead of killing him.”

She swallowed and forced herself to look at him. His face was pale, with dark circles around his eyes. His wild mane of hair seemed outrageously extravagant for a respected clan head. His eyes held the same depth as his brother, but he was older and more experienced still. And cunning wisdom shimmered in them, she recognized it and knew of his potential. 

Shuddering for a moment, trying to suppress memories, she said tersely, “It is my job Uchiha-sama, to tend to people instead of killing them.” She tried a small smile and found it hard. 

Madara stared at her and noticed her reluctance to be friendly. He sighed. “Ah…. you are also scarred by the wars. I wish to make them undone Haruno-san if I knew how. I will do my utmost best to make peace between the clans and forge a village where shinobi can live and fight together.” 

He stood up carefully and bowed to her. She felt suddenly emotional. This man. This man! He was responsible for so much death and sorrow. So much blood. She felt chakra gathering in her fists. She knew he noticed too. He hesitated, his eyes involuntarily jumping to sharingan. The tension was rising, Hashirama started to stand, startled. 

“Sakura-san……” Madara reached out to her.. “I am truly sorry….” 

His apology broke something inside of her and she felt tears falling from her eyes. “I know.” she cried, softly remarking: “Peace might be just as hard as war.”

He held her shoulder and caught a tear from her cheek and he smiled. “Now the healer needs healing. Sakura-san, the war is over. Peace is here now. Please, you are just as necessary in forging this peace as any of us. You need to be strong and we need our grief to pass and look at the future.” 

His words startled her. The tears stopped. He was right. This was not the sadistic Madara that she fought. This was their second chance. She wiped the tears from her cheeks with her sleeve. Nodded and stood straight. “Uchiha-sama, let me offer you my allegiance as a shinobi to the Uchiha as well as the Senju and to this peace. I will guard it with my life.” She bowed. 

Her offering touched Madara. He was visibly emotional for a moment. Hoarsely he replied, “I accept your allegiance Sakura. And I thank you.”


	8. They exited the battlefield last. Sakura looked over the barren earth…

They exited the battlefield last. Sakura looked over the barren earth, clutching her upper body with her arms. Darkened blood patches were littered across the ground. The sun was sinking behind the horizon, drowning the sky in an intense red glow echoing the blood on the ground. The air felt moist and cold and she shivered while she felt it seeping into her bones. 

At a small distance, Tobirama stood straight, his arms crossed, eyes closed, face tilted upwards towards the sky and sinking sun. The red glow fell on his face, hair and fur collar, made his happuri glint. There were red blotches standing out sharply on the white fur, stubborn witnesses to the violence of the battle. 

He seemed like a god of war, bloodied, proud, indestructible. It had been an honour fighting with him, to work towards this peace together with him. She felt a warmth pooling in her stomach while she walked towards him. He slowly tilted his head downwards and towards her, opening his eyes. He looked at her intently, his gaze indecipherable. “Sakura…. the battle is over, this dream is coming true.” 

“ Hai…” she whispered, stopping just in front of him, staring up into his face. 

He wrapped his arms around her suddenly, whispering in her ear. “I am proud to have been fighting next to you, my fierce kunoichi.” 

She felt that damned blush crawling on her cheeks again. “Same here, Senju.” She grinned. 

“Let’s go home?” 

“Home?” The word tasted different in her mouth. She sighed deeply and felt the concept sink into her brain. A major shift took place then and there, for she realised that this time, with him, felt more like home than the future. Her own time seemed far away and unreal. He was here, warm, real and alive. And with some effort, as if her speaking the word out loud would make it so, she said: “Yeah… let’s go home..” 

He activated hiraishin and they appeared in his quarters. She sank to her knees, exhausted suddenly and in the silence of the compound that enveloped them, her ears were experiencing that long peeping sound again. 

Tobirama’s voice sounded business-like. “Get a bath and then sleep. I will have to manage the security while Hashirama is still unwell.” 

She nodded and he disappeared into the hallway.

Undressing she inspected her wounds. She only had minor injuries. She couldn’t be bothered to heal them. It was better to save chakra. When she entered the baths several men were bathing there already even though these were the women’s baths. She shrugged. They deserved to bathe after this battle, and she was too tired to hide her nakedness. They deserved to look at some female beauty. 

She took off her robe and stepped in the hot water. Her body relaxed and her mind drifted off. She forgot about the men and she saw the battle pass her mind’s eye like a film. The impact of the memories was not as intense as the previous ones, but they were persistent nevertheless and very disturbing. It surprised her that she did not have episodes yet. 

After bathing she went to Tobirama’s quarters and found the remnants of their evening supper of two nights before on the table. It was a witness of their peaceful and might she add hot night together. It seemed like a lifetime ago, unreal almost. 

She sat down and ate some leftover rice from the bowls, she didn’t want to bother the kitchens for fresh food when so many were injured or mourning. Eating a bit, she was not really feeling hungry she sat on the engawa. Her memories kept on spinning around in her head, she was hyperalert. Sleep was far from her thoughts, while her mind churned in a chaotic mealstream. It was impossible to slow it down, no matter how desperately she wished it. Even if sleep would come to her, it would not be wise without Tobirama. So she waited for him, feet dangling from the engawa, listening to the crickets in the night, looking at the eternal stars. 

He came when morning was almost upon them. The first birds started to make sounds hesitantly. He looked exhausted but just like in a state of hyperalert. He flung his happuri on the hanger, his armour dropped halfway unceremoniously on the ground. In silence he plonked down next to her, a bowl with leftovers and chopsticks in his right hand. In silence they sat while he ate. 

“Couldn’t sleep?” 

“Too much thoughts” 

“It happens.” 

“I wanted to wait for you.” 

“ Hnnn”

He didn’t look at her, but when he finished his bow, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “You know… seeing your history with Uchiha Sasuke and since you are eagerly making appointments with new Uchiha men, I would like to ask your permission to court you.” 

“Court me?? Nani?” She started laughing.

He grinned and pulled her onto his lap suddenly, pushing the hair out of her face and behind her ears, causing butterflies to erupt in her belly. 

“Yes, court you. I already informed my brother. He gave us his blessing.” 

She felt weird, her laughter faltering, staring at his face from inches away. “But, … we were doing just fine right?” 

He looked at her intently. “Sakura… I am not a casual man. I do not just feel physical attraction, although that is very present I must say” he squeezed her hip for a moment evoking a small yelp from her.

“I never cared for women, thought they were weak, girlish and troublesome. You, on the other hand, are dangerous, intelligent, beautiful, stubborn and my equal in every sense possible and I like that. Apparently I was born in the wrong age. I like it that you are a shinobi and a damn good one. I want you to be mine. I don’t want to sleep without you, don’t want to live through this peace without you.” He stopped his monologue for a moment, gaining his breath and courage. “ Just say you want to be mine…?” 

He looked at her intently, serious. It felt like a real proposal and she started to feel a warm glow rising up from her stomach, racing through her entire body. She pressed her forehead against his for a moment, breathing in his scent. Then she looked in his eyes and stated seriously: “Like I said Senju, I am yours….” 

And then she saw something that she didn’t expect from this stoic man. She saw tears brimming in his eyes. His expression was still stoic, but the tear betrayed his feelings, even if they did not fall.

“I am a man of warfare, Sakura. I was not raised to have emotions. But trust me that it means everything to me to hear you say that.” HIs fingers slithered over her neck into her pink hair, pushing her towards his lips, while he kissed her tenderly, then more intensely. She melted into him. When they stopped gasping for air, she asked him: “So what does that involve, courting?” 

“Well, normally the man tries to woo the woman, take her out for walks, get to know her, introducing him to his family. And after six month it is customary to ask for her hand.” 

“... Six months?” She felt dread rising over such a long time. 

His eyes held mirth. “Yes. But there is a deal that I have in mind that I still have to discuss with you.” 

Suspicion in her eyes she asked, “And that is?” 

He took a last bite of his leftovers and chewed thoughtfully. 

“I want to court you to make it clear to the outside world that I respect you, that you are an honorable woman and that no other male can make claims on you. I cannot help it, that you live in my time now and this is customary.” 

“Right..”

He turned his head and looked at her seriously, eyes stern. 

“However, since you are very much a woman of your time, and you seduced me already the other night, I intend to go sleep tonight. And when we wake in the morning and I feel like I have more energy, I will take you in every way possible. I want to hear you cry out my name, customs be damned.” 

She gasped in outrage and went beet red in a second. Then she hit him in the shoulder. He grinned, clutching her to his chest and then releasing her. “I am going to bathe now. I smell like blood and sweat. You go lie down, I will be here shortly. Don’t worry about your episodes, I will be able to sense your chakra.” 

She watched him walking away and she lay down on the fuuton. She felt warm and hot and giggly. The anticipation of what was coming, was racing through her system in the form of millions of butterflies. She wondered if she could ever fall asleep like this. While waiting, her body warmed up under the blanket. She noticed her feet becoming really warm and cosy and then despite her emotional uproar, the blackness took her, making her eyelids drop and there was a big long nothingness.


End file.
